Concert ARD Music Competition Münsterkirche Klosterreichenbach

ARD Music Competition — Prize Winners at the Münsterkirche

The ARD Music Competition in Munich is one of the most significant competitions for classical music in Germany. Since 1952, it has discovered young talents from around the world each year — many now world-famous soloists have won their first prizes here. The concert at the Münsterkirche Klosterreichenbach brings four prize winners from recent competition editions to the unique acoustic environment of a Romanesque monastery church — a focused, almost intimate encounter with top artists of the next generation.

The 2026 Prize Winners

The concert on May 19, 2026, brings together four prize winners from different instruments and disciplines:

• Samueol Park — Baritone, a South Korean singer with an international profile
• Ionel Ungureanu — Viola, a Romanian violist
• Elad Navon — Clarinet, an Israeli clarinetist
• Liya Wang — Piano, a Chinese pianist, often in demand as an accompanist

Program — Beethoven, Schumann, Schubert, Mozart, Smyth

The musical program combines well-known composers with less frequently performed ones:

• Ludwig van Beethoven — Lieder and chamber music excerpts
• Robert Schumann — Lieder and chamber music (e.g., Fairy Tales op. 132 for Clarinet, Viola, and Piano)
• Franz Schubert — Lieder, possibly Schwanengesang
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — Concert arias or Kegelstatt Trio
• Ethel Smyth — English composer and suffragette, whose works are increasingly gaining attention today — an exciting program choice

Münsterkirche Klosterreichenbach — Romanesque Acoustics

The Münsterkirche is the former monastery church of the Benedictine monastery of Reichenbach, founded in the 12th century. It is considered one of the most beautiful Romanesque churches in southwestern Germany. Its three-nave structure with the discreet tower and intact medieval substance creates exceptional concert acoustics — warm, long reverberation without excessive echo. The church seats approximately 300 visitors, offering an unusually intimate format during the concert.

Klosterreichenbach and Baiersbronn — Black Forest Tradition

Klosterreichenbach is a district of Baiersbronn (Freudenstadt district, postal code 08237) in the Northern Black Forest. Baiersbronn is internationally known as Germany's capital of three-star restaurants (three restaurants with three Michelin stars — a density unique in Europe). The concert in the Münsterkirche fits perfectly into the high-quality cultural offerings of this Black Forest community.