From the final i Montpellier in 2022. Photo: Farouk Vallette

In a nutshell, Eurovision Young Musicians is a classical music competition in which musicians aged between 12 and 21 perform a piece of music of their choice on an instrument that they are skilled at playing. Each musician represents their country, with a jury of international experts then scoring the performances.

Each musician is accompanied by the orchestra affiliated with the host broadcaster and, unlike the Eurovision Song Contest, the host nation is rarely the country that has won the previous competition.

A history of Eurovision Young Musicians

The inaugural Eurovision Young Musicians took place in Manchester in 1982 and was won by German pianist Markus Pawlik. 

Germany had also won the Eurovision Song Contest just a few weeks earlier, with Ein Bißchen Frieden by Nicole; the only other country to win both Eurovision Young Musicians and the Eurovision Song Contest in the same year was Austria in 2014.

In total, 43 countries have participated in Eurovision Young Musicians over the years, but only 12 countries have achieved victory.

Austria leads the pack with 5 wins, followed by Poland on three. Germany and Netherlands on two, and Czechia, France, Greece, Norway, Russia, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom having won once.

Across the history of the show, participating musicians have played on a total of 24 different instruments, with 7 of those leading to victory! The violin is the most charmed instrument, leading to 9 victories, with the pianists accounting for 5 wins, cellists for two, and solitary victories thanks to the clarinet, flute, saxophone and viola.

The Czeck violinist Daniel Matejča von in 2022 for his brilliant performance from Shostakovich’s 1st violin concerto. Photo: Farouk Vallette

When will the next competition take place?

Eurovision Young Musicians 2024 will take place on 17 August in Bodø, Norway. The 21st edition will be hosted by Norwegian broadcaster NRK during the city’s tenure as European Capital of Culture. This will be the second edition held in Norway, after Bergen hosted the 2000 contest.

In Bodø, 11 countries are set to take part: Armenia, Austria, Belgium, Czechia, France, Germany, Norway, Poland, Serbia, Sweden and Switzerland.