Cello Competition 2026
The competition is organized by the Gustav Mahler Institute Prague in collaboration with the Gustav Mahler Philharmonic Jihlava. Its mission is to cultivate the passion and artistic motivation of young, gifted cellists by fostering mutual understanding, interpretative dialogue, creative inspiration, and a profound love of music.
The towering figure of the maestro and composer Gustav Mahler—who spent the first fifteen years of his life in Jihlava, a time that shaped and enriched his genius—serves as a constant reminder of his noble vision of music's purpose. His legacy remains a timeless source of inspiration and an enduring model for young musicians from across the globe.
Closing date: February 28, 2026
Announcement of results: April 6, 2026
Mahler's first public concert
"On 13-10-1870 there was, by way of an exception, an Abonnement suspendu, the reason being that a nine year-old boy, the son of a local Jewish tradesman named Mahler, was to be heard for the first time playing the piano before a large audience. The great success the future virtuoso achieved with his audience did him honour; one could only wish that for his excellent playing he had had an equally good instrument at his service. If the young artist's former teacher, Herr Kapellmeister Viktorin, hears of yesterday's success, he can certainly be pleased with his protege."
Previous winners
Rules
- The competition will be via videos published only on www.youtube.com.
- The competition is open for competitors of all nationalities up to the age of 32, the competition is divided into 11 age categories.
- The competition is a one-round competition, and the condition of the competition is to play from memory without a music stand or reading sheet music from any materials.
- The repertoire is free and should consist of one or more pieces which has to fulfill the time limit. For videos exceeding the specified time limit, the jury will evaluate only the parts of the performance that fall within the time limit. Any parts of the video beyond the time limit will not be evaluated.
- Play solo, or with piano accompaniment, no other musical instruments are permitted.
Works written for cello and piano or for cello and orchestra must be performed with piano accompaniment; they may not be performed solo, i.e., without accompaniment.
- The video must be a real recording without editing, shot in one static shot, with the camera slightly away from the competitor. Must be visible on the competitor's hands and body at all times.
- The video recording not more than 6 months old must be placed on www.youtube.com, the competitor will include in the application the exact internet link to the video recording.
- Each piece/composition can have a separate link.
- The full names of the pieces, the composer and the competitor, must be included in the video title or description (in English)
- The video must be public and accessible for the duration of the competition and for the next 6 months after the end of the competition.. The competitor will not seek a financial reward for posting the video and gives consent to post the video on the organiser's web site to announce the results.
- The organiser reserves the right not to open a category for organisational reasons or not to accept an application or to shorten the competition deadline for the competition for capacity reasons.
- The competition deadline: 28.2.2026.
- Announcement of results: 6.4.2026.
- Failure to comply with the above conditions, as well as an apparent reading of the notes during the game, may result in the competitor being eliminated from the competition.
- Application only in English shall be submitted exclusively electronically by completing an online form at www.mahler.institute (at the end of this page) and paying a registration fee.
Works written for cello and piano or for cello and orchestra must be performed with piano accompaniment; they may not be performed solo, i.e., without accompaniment.
Age Categories / Time Limit
Category
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
Year of Birth
2015 and younger
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2005 - 2007
2001 - 2004
1993 - 2000
Time Limit
2 - 5 min.
4 - 8 min.
4 - 8 min.
5 - 10 min.
5 - 10 min.
7 - 10 min.
7 - 10 min.
9 - 12 min.
9 - 12 min.
10 - 13 min.
13 - 20 min.
Awards
Prizes totalling €5000 will be awarded.
Gustav Mahler Prize - Grand Prix - Personalized Glass Trophy, Prize Money 30,000 CZK, Diploma - the Absolute Winner
Concerts in Jihlava
Prize of Gustav Mahler Philharmonic Jihlava
Prize of Chief Conductor of the Gustav Mahler Philharmonic Jihlava
Prize of Jury president
Prize of Director of Gustav Mahler Institute Prague
Prize for the best Czech competitor
Prizes for the interpretation of a compositions
Each competitor receives a diploma (by email) and the short evaluation of the performance.
Jury
Mgr.art. Jan Pospíšil - president of Jury
solo cellist, concertmaster of Slovak National Theatre Orchestra, teacher at the Church Conservatory in Bratislava
MgA. Petr Nouzovský - member of Jury
leading Czech cello soloist, teacher at the Prague Conservatory, a faculty member at the New York University Prague
Mgr. Jiří Jakeš - member of Jury
Chief conductor of Gustav Mahler Philharmonic Jihlava, Czech Republic
The jury will assess the competitive performance of the competitors, determine the order of the competitors in each category, determine the absolute winner of the competition, determine the award holder.
The jury's deliberations are not public, the jury does not publish evaluations.
The jury's decision is final, indisputable and there is no appeal.
Application Procedure
The application is submitted exclusively electronically by filling in the online form at www.mahler.institute (at the bottom of this page) and paying the registration fee. Proof of payment of the fee must accompany the application. Applications can be submitted until February 28, 2026 at the latest. You will receive a final confirmation of your participation in the selection procedure once you have submitted your application and the registration fee has been credited to our bank account (takes a few days!!!). Please wait for the confirmation email. If you do not receive a confirmation email within a few days, please send us a reminder.
Registration fee:
categories 1 - 5: € 45
categories 6 - 9: € 75
categories 10 - 11: € 95
To pay the registration fee, use our bank account:
IBAN: CZ4820100000002601525645
BIC/SWIFT: FIOBCZPPXXX
Owner: Institut Gustava Mahlera, z.s.
address: Fio banka, a.s., Millennium Plaza, V Celnici 10, 117 21 Prague, Czech Republic
Čeští účastníci mohou platit ekvivalent v korunách na účet: 2601525645/2010. Fakturu rádi vystavíme na vyžádání, sdělte nám Vaše fakturační údaje.
Fee can be paid via payPal, please use our email for Paypal: manager@f-gm.cz or QR:
Application form
Please, fill in in English only!