The 7^th International Feliks Nowowiejski Organ Competition will take place in Poznań on 7^th–11^th September, 2026. Organized by the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań, the Competition is open to organists up to 35 years of age and includes online preliminaries and two rounds of public auditions, played on three diverse organ instruments.

Initiated in 1994, The International Feliks Nowowiejski Organ Competition is one of the major events dedicated to organ music in Poland. The intention of the Competition founders was to commemorate the patron of the Feliks Nowowiejski Society, an outstanding Polish composer, organist, and conductor who was associated with Poznań for many years, popularise his abundant organ oeuvre in Poland and abroad and promote young organists.

Since its very beginning, the Competition has been open and international, attracting young organists from all over Europe and beyond, including Germany, France, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Estonia, Japan, and South Korea. Many winners of its previous editions are now pursuing successful concert and teaching careers in Poland and abroad, confirming the importance of the Competition as a significant stage in the professional development of young artists.

A distinctive feature of the Competition is its three-round format, in which each public round is played on a different instrument. This solution allows participants to tackle a variety of sounds, aesthetics, and performance traditions, developing their ability to adapt their interpretation to the specific characteristics of the instrument and acoustic space.

The music of the event’s Patron occupies a special place in the Competition repertoire. The obligatory performances of works by Feliks Nowowiejski – one of the most prominent composers of Polish modernism and creator of monumental organ symphonies – mean that the Competition not only discovers young talents, but also actively promotes Polish musical heritage and builds a living tradition of performing his works.

The 2026 edition will have a special symbolic dimension as the Competition will mark the 80^th anniversary of Feliks Nowowiejski’s death, providing an opportunity to honour his achievements and recall the role he played in the development of organ music in Poland and Europe.

The international jury will be composed of the following members:

Michel Bouvard (Conservatoire de Paris, France),
Martin Schmeding (Hochschule für Musik und Theater Leipzig, Germany),
Sławomir Kamiński (I.J. Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań, Poland),
Jarosław Wróblewski (F. Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, Poland),
Jarosław Tarnawski (I.J. Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań, Poland).

 

Documents:

APPLICATION FORM
APPLICATION ENCLOSURE

Rules and Regulations of The International F. Nowowiejski Organ Competition 2026
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