"We all know the guitar from pop and rock music, as an instrument in jazz or classical music. But there is much more to the guitar than these familiar sounds. The performance of the winning entries in the Carl von Ossietzky Composition Competition showed just how many facets the stringed instrument really has."

Carl von Ossietzky - Composition Prize

16th international competition

The winners of the Ossietzky Composition Prize have been announced. The 16th competition was open to works for guitar ensembles with two to four players. The international jury (Siegrid Ernst, Christoph Keller, Andreas Lieberg, Michael Searby, Axel Weidenfeld, under the direction of Oldenburg university lecturer Prof. Violeta Dinescu) was presented with works by composers from Germany, Italy, Austria, Denmark and Brazil.

Klaus Hinrich Stahmer was awarded 1st prize and 1000 euros

for his composition "El Bailarín" (The Dancer) for three guitars, a narrator and a dancer (ad lib.); based on a text by Vicente Aleixandre.

The 2nd prize and 700 euros go to the Italian composer Matteo Zanetti for his composition "Fonografie per quartetto di chitarre".

The third prize and 500 euros will go to the Brazilian composer Rodrigo Baggio for his composition "Six pieces for two to four guitars".

The 25-year-old composer Thomas Brian Winkler received the sponsorship prize and 300 euros for his piece "Zwei Zeremoniale" for three electric guitars.

The competition jury also included five works in the repertoire of the composition competition:

Thomas Heel: "Negotiation" for four guitars

Benjamin Hiesinger: "Pepy's Island" for two electric guitars and two concert guitars