Jonas Stark: Young pianist conquers the heart of Vienna at the Beethoven Competition!

Jonas Stark: Young pianist conquers the heart of Vienna at the Beethoven Competition!

Jonas Stark, a talented young pianist and graduate of the Saar University of Music (HfM), won second prize at the 17th International Beethoven Piano Competition in Vienna. This competition, the oldest international piano competition in Austria, is known for its high reputation and has been taking place for over 60 years. The event is organized by the mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. Weekly Mirror

A total of over 300 talented people from 32 nations applied to take part in this prestigious competition. After a pre-selection and an online video round, the international jury selected 21 outstanding pianists. The competition participants showed what they can do from May 16, 2025. A total of five awards were presented at the awards ceremony, including one first prize, two second prizes and two special prizes.

Training and competition successes

Jonas Stark began his musical training at the age of five with Jelena Semenenko. In 2018 he completed his piano studies with a bachelor's degree under Professor Thomas Duis at the HfM Saar. He earned his Master's and Professional Diploma from Professor Ian Fountain at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Since 2021 he has been studying in Professor Roland Krüger's solo class at the Hanover University of Music, where he has also held a teaching position since 2023. Beethoven competition

His impressive competitive career includes several achievements. These include first prize at the Walter Gieseking Competition in 2017 and winning the Hong Kong International Piano Competition 2022. Stark has received several awards, including the first federal prize and two special prizes at “Jugend musiziert” in 2014 and the special prize at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich in 2022. He is also a two-time special prize winner from Saarland for outstanding solo achievements and a Young Steinway Artist.

International concert activity

Jonas Stark has already worked as a soloist with well-known orchestras such as the Heidelberg Philharmonic, the German Radio Philharmonic and the Duisburg Philharmonic. He has also worked with conductors such as Marin Alsop and Marcus Bosch and has performed in countries such as Germany, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Russia, China and Australia.

On Sunday, September 21st, Stark will give a piano recital in Heusweiler. Tickets cost 15 euros and are under www.aktion-kultur-heusweiler.de, as well as available at the box office and in advance at local stationery stores. Weekly Mirror