The Faculty of Music at the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts has successfully concluded the 32nd Leoš Janáček International Competition. From 14 to 20 September, Brno welcomed outstanding French horn and tuba players for a series of performances. The week-long competition culminated on Sunday 20 September at Besední dům, where the finalists performed with the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Robert Kružík.
The competition is named after Leoš Janáček, who spent most of his creative life in Brno. Held since the 1990s, it has become a prestigious platform for a new generation of musicians. This year’s strong international participation confirmed its status once again, with 67 French horn players and 21 tuba players taking part from Europe, Asia and North and South America. Their performances across all three rounds were judged by international juries made up of leading figures from the world of music.
The final round and the announcement of the winners in both categories took place at Besední dům on Sunday 20 September. The high standard of this year’s competition was reflected not only in the large number of performers from around the world, but also in the quality of the competition itself and the exceptional level of the individual rounds. The Leoš Janáček International Competition once again confirmed its place among Europe’s leading music competitions, while further strengthening Brno’s role as an important centre for the next generation of musicians.
In the tuba category, Nándor Vincze of Hungary took first prize and received a premium F-tuba case from competition partner Miraphone. Junxian Zhao of China won second prize, while Czech tuba player Jakub Maňák came third. Maňák was also awarded a special prize by the Club of Moravian Composers for the best Czech performance, which includes a concert appearance as part of the Young Performers’ Days, Brno 2027 concert series. In addition to their laureate titles and cash prizes, all three soloists received sheet music from competition partner Bärenreiter Praha. An honourable mention went to the fourth finalist, Portugal’s José Guilherme Neves. The jury also awarded a special prize to the competition’s youngest participant, Chinese tuba player Ziyuan Xu.
Of the 67 French horn players competing, Brendan Connellan of the United Kingdom took first place. Czech finalist Alois Stavárek came second and received two special prizes: a paid concert appearance at the 2027 Treasures of Broumov International Music Festival and a concert for the competition’s best Czech participant as part of the “Young Performers’ Days, Brno 2027” concert series. The jury awarded joint third place to Jhon Kevin Lopez Morales of Colombia and Darius Andrei Cirstulescu of Romania. Alongside their laureate titles and cash prizes, the prize-winning finalists also received sheet music from Editio Janáček, provided by the Leoš Janáček Foundation, as well as further scores from partner publisher Bärenreiter Praha.
The juries in both instrumental categories also awarded special prizes for outstanding piano accompaniment. Kristina Marková and Jana Ryšánková were recognised for accompanying the tuba players, while Jana Goliášová, Xing Zhang, Ying-han Li and Akiko Nikami received the jury’s recognition for their work with the French horn competitors.
“I warmly congratulate all the prize-winners and would also like to thank everyone who took part in this year’s Leoš Janáček International Competition. My thanks also go to the members of both international juries for their demanding and conscientious work, as well as to the accompanists who supported the competitors throughout the individual rounds,” said Jindřich Petráš, president of the competition and dean of the Faculty of Music at the Janáček Academy of Performing Arts.
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