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
Date of Birth Category. Time limit