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.
The International Van Wassenaer Competition 2026 will have a focus on Medieval and Renaissance repertoire. The semi-final will take place on 2 September, the final on 4 September.
The participants will be announced on 13 August. Entry is free, reservation is required and possible from 20 August.
Discover young talent
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.
