Results announced for the 12th Osaka International Chamber Music Competition

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The 12th edition of the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition was held from 17 to 24 May 2026 at the Sumitomolife Izumi Hall. The competition comprised two divisions: Section I for string quartets and Section II for piano trios and quartets.

Following three rounds, the final round was held on 22 May. For Section I, Austria’s Motus Quartet won first prize of ¥2,500,000 (£11,650). It also won special prizes: the Britten Pears Arts Award, the String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam Award and Germany’s Klangerlebnis Award.

The Motus Quartet comprises violinists Tim de Vries and Karla Križ, violist Erin Pitts and cellist Domonkos Hartmann. Its recent competition success includes first prize and the special prize for the best interpretation of an early Classical work at the 10th International Joseph Joachim Chamber Music Competition, plus third prize, the special prize for the best interpretation of the commissioned work and the jury special prize at the Trondheim International Chamber Music Competition

Japan’s Quartet Fugue won second prize of ¥1,200,000 (£5,600), as well as the Bordeaux String Quartet Festival Award, while Austria’s Quartet Kairi won third prize of ¥800,000 (£3,700), and was named the Ambassador Ensemble for the 12th Osaka International Chamber Music Competition, along with Italy’s Quartetto Werther.

For Section II, Trio E.T.A. of Germany won first prize of ¥2,500,000. Germany’s Euphorie Quartet won second prize of ¥1,200,000, plus the Music in PyeongChang Award. The Davidoff Trio, also of Germany, won third prize of ¥8,000,000.

Trio E.T.A. comprises violinist Elene Meipariani, cellist Nadja Reich and pianist Till Hoffmann. It has previously won first prize at the German Music Competition in 2021, special prize of the Rotary Club Bonn and the prize of Freunde junger Musiker Deutschland, the Walbusch Prize of Jeunesses Musicales Deutschland in 2022, plus the Berenberg Culture Prize in 2023.

Both Motus Quartet and Trio E.T.A received the Sommerliche Musiktage Hitzacker Debut Award. Each of the first-prizewinner ensembles will perform a Grand Prix tour of ten concerts around Japan.

The jury was chaired by Monica Henschel and comprised Weigang Li, Kazuki Sawa, Oliver Wille, Mai Motobuchi, Alasdair Tait, Sung-Won Yang, Reiko Aizawa and Ichiro Nodaira.

The competition concluded with the prizewinners concerts in Osaka and Tokyo on 23 and 24 May, respectively.