Introduction

The international Carl Bechstein Piano Competition could well have been established by Carl Bechstein himself. He vigorously supported musicians of his time with a keen awareness for their needs and aspirations.
In this competition we are not interested in pianistic perfection for its own sake. You will see from the repertoire with its strong emphasis on the classics, romantics and new music that we are looking for an all-round musician with a strong artistic personality. The fact that we have introduced the higher than usual upper age limit (up to 40) will, we hope, show our wish to offer as wide a spectrum of possibilities for those already embarked on a career as well as those who have not.

The 250 applicants from over 50 countries showed the great interest the First International Carl Bechstein Competition in 2006 aroused.
Bechstein sees in this competition the possibility for musicians to meet and exchange ideas in a vibrant artistic environment.
We would like to sincerely thank our partners Folkwang Hochschule, the Philharmonie Essen, the Mercatorhalle Duisburg, the Konzerthaus Dortmund, the Bochumer Symphfoniker and the Orchesterzentrum NRW. It is their generous support that has enabled us once again to follow the vision of the founding father Carl Bechstein.