Discover young talent

The International Van Wassenaer Competition (IVWC) is the oldest competition for early music ensembles in the Netherlands. Since 2014 the three-day event has taken place during the Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht. For information about participating in the competition, see this page.

IVWC (Marieke Wijntjes)

International Van Wassenaer Competition 2024: baroque edition

After a pre-selection the ensembles are assessed by an international professional jury during the semi-final, which is open to the public. The ensembles who drop out in this round are offered a coaching session with one of the jury members. In the final, a maximum of four ensembles compete for various cash prizes and a paid concert tour. In addition, all finalists receive a masterclass voucher which they can exchange for coaching by a musician of their choice. In this way they get the chance to learn from their musical examples.

Ivwc

Starting in 2019, the IVWC will no longer be held every two years but annually, with a varied focus on early (Middle Ages and Renaissance), middle (Baroque / basso continuo) and late (Classical and Romantic) repertoire, performed on historical instruments.

The International Van Wassenaer Competition 2025 will take place from Wednesday 3 until Friday 5 September, with a focus on Classical and Romantic repertoire.

The hall lights are dimmed, murmurs become whispers, drops of sweat tickle the palms: the exciting competition rounds of the International Van Wassenaer Competition are always a highlight of the festival programme.

We are more than happy to let new voices on the early music stage have their say in this competition, in which young ensembles are encouraged to win over both jury and audience with technique and interesting programme choices, characterful interpretations and a touch of flair.

Discover the stars of tomorrow and cheer on your favourites: the winners get to pack their bags for a tour in the Festival Oude Muziek Tournees.

The programme for the International Van Wassenaer Competition will be announced mid-August. For more information about participating see this page.

Review 2024: Baroque Edition

Winners

  • Jury awards:
    • 1st place: Apollo's Cabinet
    • 2nd place: BREZZA
    • 3rd place: Tra Noi
  • Audience award: BREZZA
  • FOMU-prize (a concert tour in the season of the Festival Oude Muziek Tournees or a concert during the Festival Oude Muziek Utrecht): BREZZA


All three finalists received a masterclass voucher with a value of € 500.

Jury 2023
Krijn Koetsveld chair
Simon-Pierre Bestion
Johanna Rose
Raquel Andueza
Benny Aghassi