The competition was established in 1980 under the patronage of Queen Margarethe of Denmark., initially as a violin competition with its first President Henryk Szeryng. The flute edition was added in 1998. From 2019, the Carl Nielsen International Competitions for violin, clarinet, and flute will be held concurrently for the first time. Since 2019 the competition has three Artistic Advisors: Nikolaj Znaider, Emmanuel Pahud, and Martin Fröst.
8 - 16 June 2026, Odense, Claus Bergs gad 9, 5000, Odense C, DENMARK
symfoni@odense.dk
Flutists of all nationalities born on or after June 8, 1996, are eligible.
The application deadline: February 1, 2026
24 contestants will be invited to participate in the live rounds in Odense.
Prize fund for 2026 competition: EUR 27 000
Application information: process, requirements, repertoire
The jury:
Sophie Cherrier (France) – Chair of the Jury
András Adorján (Denmark/Hungary)
Petri Alanko (Finland)
Silvia Careddu (Italy)
Guoliang Han (China)
Brit Halvorsen (Norway)
Rune Most (Denmark)
The preliminary jury selecting the candidates:
Ragnhildur Jósefsdóttir (Iceland)
Ulla Miilmann (Denmark)
Rune Most (Denmark)