Oboe and bassoon take center stage
Over 300 musicians have applied to take part in The Muri Competition: from April 9 to 19, young oboists and bassoonists from all over the world, including two young regional talents, will compete for the fifth time on the premises of the monastery. The jury includes top musicians and professors from ten countries.
There are competitions for piano, violin and singing - dozens of them worldwide. For oboe and bassoon, however, there are practically none. Except in Muri. Every three years since 2013 The Muri Competition the world's only international competition that specializes in these two instruments at the same time. The qualification of hundreds of applicants is anonymous - the preliminary jury listens to every recording submitted without knowing who is playing and decides who will be among the 50 or so participants per instrument and who will be allowed to travel.
It was founded by three musicians: Murian oboist Renato Bizzotto, bassoonist Matthias Rácz and oboist Martin Frutiger - the latter two are soloists in the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich and professors at the Zurich University of the Arts ZHdK. The oboe jury will also be chaired by Martin Frutiger in 2026. He will be joined on the jury by Francesco Di Rosa from Italy, Simon Fuchs - solo oboist at the Tonhalle Zurich - and former Muri winner Kyeong Ham from South Korea. The bassoon jury will be chaired by Matthias Rácz, solo bassoonist at the Tonhalle Zurich. He will be assisted by the renowned Italian bassoonist Sergio Azzolini, the Englishwoman Rachel Gough and the American Whitney Crocket - a total of jurors from ten nations.
Career springboard
The fact that Heinz Holliger, conductor, composer and one of the most famous oboists in music history, is coming to Muri in person and is a patron, gives the competition added weight. Holliger chooses the best interpretation of the contemporary compulsory pieces and awards the Heinz Holliger Prize named after him. On Saturday, April 18, he will also hold a public master class for the semi-finalists.
The Muri Competition is more than just a competition. Winning here opens doors. Enrico Bassi won first prize in the bassoon class in 2023 at the young age of 21 - today he is principal bassoonist of the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra in Hamburg. Bassoonist Andrea Cellacchi won in 2016 and is now principal bassoonist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam and teaches as a professor at the Conservatory of Italian-speaking Switzerland in Lugano. The winners receive scholarships, performance opportunities, special prizes and prize money of CHF 15,000 each for first place. However, all participants actually win at this event, which, in addition to the high musical standards, also aims to promote young people. In Muri, the young musicians can expand their network; doors are opened to them and they make new (professional and private) connections.
Connecting effect
The Muri Competition is not just about separating the very best from the very best: Rather, the music and the passion for the two instruments should create new connections. Among the musicians, but also beyond their circles.
The patronage committee also includes people who are familiar with the pursuit of excellence from a different perspective. The national team footballer Alayah Pilgrim or the national handball player Daphne Gautschi, who was not only born in Muria but is herself an oboist who was once taught by artistic director Renato Bizzotto. An unusual combination of top-class sport and classical music.
Accommodation serves as another unifying element. The participants are not accommodated in hotels. Instead, the majority of them live with volunteer host families in Muri and the surrounding area for around two weeks. This should not only ensure lasting impressions or even lifelong friendships for all participants, but also for the hosts. It will also reduce the burden on the budget and lower the threshold for participation in Switzerland, which is not exactly inexpensive for young professional musicians who have traveled a long way. In addition to an entry fee for the competition, they also pay the travel costs themselves.
The audience will also have the opportunity to experience first-hand how professional musicians compete: All auditions in the first three rounds are open to the public and free of charge - anyone who wants to find out how difficult not only the participants« work is, but also that of the jury, can try their hand as a »member of the jury out of competition".
The competition runs over ten days with four rounds. The first round runs from April 10 to 12 in the refectory and the Pflegidach. In the semi-final and final on April 17 and 19, the argovia philharmonic under Georg Köhler will accompany the soloists. Only the final on Sunday evening costs CHF 50.00 admission.
