Re:Trace Kurtág - International Composition Competition

Re:Trace Kurtág - International Composition Competition

In 2026, the music world celebrates the centenary of the legendary György Kurtág, a composer who redefined musical expression through radical economy and the power of silence. 

To honor this milestone, the first edition of the Re:Trace International Composition Competition takes inspiration from the core qualities of Kurtág’s aesthetic: the beauty of the fragment, the intensity of the brief gesture, and the transformation of music into a relic of memory. 

We invite composers to engage with this visionary spirit, where every note carries profound weight.

The Greek Composers’ Union invites composers of all ages from around the world to create a new work for a small ensemble of 3 to 5 musicians, with or without electronics. Participants are encouraged to engage freely and creatively with aspects of Kurtág’s oeuvre, aesthetics, artistic thinking or philosophical aspects, without necessarily employing stylistic references or direct quotations.
The final concert and award ceremony will take place at the Alternative Stage of the Greek National Opera on November 1, 2026 by EnA - Enosis Atelier, the newly formed ensemble of GCU, under guest conductor Maria Bazou. 

The program will also include the world premiere of the three winning works from the ReThinking Xenakis Competition (2022), which remained unperformed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The competition is jointly funded by the Greek Composers’ Union Trust and the Greek National Opera.

JURY
Georgia Spiropoulos, composer, multimedia artist
Eleni Ralli, composer, musicologist, curator, artistic director of False Relationships and the Extended Endings Ensemble (Switzerland)
Michalis Economou, conductor, composer, conducting professor
Kharálampos Goyós, composer, professor (Athens Conservatory, Drama School of Greek National Theatre)
Michalis Paraskakis, composer, performer, curator, artistic director of TETTTIX Ensemble (Greece)
 

GΕΝERAL RULES

• • Οpen to composers of any nationality, gender or age (except winners of ReThinking Xenakis)

• • Νo registration fee

• • Anonymous application

• • Works for 3 to 5 instruments with or without electronics/amplification

  • Flute (piccolo, alto, bass)

  • Clarinet (bass)

  • French Horn

  • Viola

  • Double Bass

• • Duration: 4-7 minutes.

• • Works no older than 2021.

• • Works not published, performed, broadcasted, or awarded in other competitions.

• • One work per composer.

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• DATES
  Applications - Opening date: 15 June 2026
  Applications - Closing date: 30 August 2026
  6 Finalists results: 15 September 2026
  Parts delivery: 1 October 2026
  Final Concert & Awards: 1 November 2026

     PRIZES
    1st award: 2.000 €
    2nd award: 1.500 €
    3rd award: 1.000 €

More information: Re:Trace Kurtág / website