The 3rd Zoltán Kodály International Music Competition is coming.

The third edition of the Zoltán Kodály International Music Competition will take place in Debrecen, Hungary, from 5-13 July 2025.

A total of 110 applications from 26 countries on three continents have been received for the third edition of the Zoltán Kodály International Music Competition in Debrecen, which will be held from 5-13 July 2025. This time, young horn, trumpet and trombone players will be able to test their skills.

After the strings (2022) and the conductors (2023), the 2025 Kodály Zoltán International Music Competition is open to horn, trumpet and trombone players of any nationality, aged up to 30 on the opening day of the competition.

The applicants, who included musicians from the USA, Colombia, Germany, Israel, Japan, China, Poland and Azerbaijan, took part in a video pre-selection before the three-round competition, which resulted in 22 trumpet, 20 horn and 15 trombone players, including 16 young Hungarians, starting the live rounds.

The jury of the 2025 Kodály International Music Competition will be chaired by Marie-Luise Neunecker, and will be composed of Gábor Boldoczki, Abbie Conant, Frits Damrow, Gustáv Hőna, Wim Van Hasselt and Szabolcs Zempléni.

The jury will select a maximum of 18 competitors for the second round (at least 3 horns, 3 trumpets and 3 trombones) and 6 for the final (at least 1 horn, 1 trumpet and 1 trombone).

The professional partner of the competition, organized by the Kodály Philharmonic Orchestra Debrecen, is Jeunesses Musicales Hungary, the Hungarian representative of the world’s largest youth music organization. Special prizes for the competition have been offered by the Hungarian Academy of Arts, Hungaroton and Editions BIM.