5th International Helmut Deutsch Lied Competition
Composers: Franz Schubert, Hugo Wolf, Gustav Mahler, Johanna Müller-Hermann
8th-13th September 2025, Future Art Lab, Ehrbar Saal, Vienna
Apply until August 20th 2025
The International Helmut Deutsch Lied Competition is Vienna’s first and only regularly held competition for singers, dedicated exclusively to the Lied and Austrian composers. Alongside renowned names like Franz Schubert, Hugo Wolf, and Gustav Mahler, the competition also celebrates composers like Johanna Müller-Hermann, who was well-regarded in her time but whose work has since faded from wider recognition. The focus is on a tone poet whose fame may have faded, but who remains unforgotten. The competition will take place in 2025 for the fifth time, artistically supported by mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. Its goal is to give young talents a jump-start in their careers and the opportunity to prove themselves to a critical audience.
Helmut Deutsch
Helmut Deutsch ranks among the finest, most successful and in-demand song recital accompanists of the world. He was born in Vienna, where he studied at the Conservatory, the Music Academy and the University. He was awarded the Composition Prize of Vienna in 1965 and appointed professor at the age of twenty-four. Although he has performed with leading instrumentalists as a chamber musician, he has concentrated primarily on accompanying in song recitals. At the beginning of his career, he worked with the soprano Irmgard Seefried, but the most important singer of his early years was Hermann Prey, whom he accompanied as a permanent partner for twelve years. Subsequently he has worked with many of the most important recital singers and played in the world’s major music centers. His collaborations with Jonas Kaufmann, Diana Damrau and Michael Volle are currently among his most important. Helmut Deutsch was a professor of Art Song Interpretation in Vienna, Salzburg, Frankfurt and Munich, holds masterclasses worldwide and is a juror in numerous international competitions.
About the mdw
The mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna is one of the world’s largest and most renowned universities for music, theater and film. Over 3,000 students from more than 70 countries enjoy their education in 115 disciplines in the fields of music, performing arts, science, research and pedagogics. The mdw’s 25 institutes include the Max Reinhardt Seminar and the Vienna Film Academy.
Competition
The following repertoire must be prepared (bindingly):
- 6 Songs by Franz Schubert
- 6 Songs by Hugo Wolf
- 4 Songs by Gustav Mahler
- 4 Songs by Johanna Müller-Hermann
Songs may not be repeated in later rounds. Transpositions are allowed. The songs must be sung without scores. If you need the scores for Johanna Müller-Hermann, you can download them from the link below. The source of the scores is the Austrian National Library. Click to download the scores
To Application
Procedure
Round 1:
Monday, 8th September 2025 & Tuesday, 9th September 2025
Time will be announced. NON-PUBLIC event.
- 2 songs of own choice from the chosen repertoire
- min. 2 different composers
- duration of program: max. 10 minutes
Round 2:
Wednesday, 10th September 2025 & Thursday, 11th September 2025
Time will be announced. PUBLIC event.
A total of 4 songs:
- 2 songs of own choice from the chosen repertoire
- 2 songs selected by jury
- (1 song by Johanna Müller-Hermann obligatory)
- duration of program: max. 15 minutes
The first and the second round will take place at mdw Future Art Lab (Anton-von-Webern-Platz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria).
Round 3/Final:
Saturday, 13th September 2025
19:00. Public event, registration is requested. (office@hd-lied.net)
The final of the competition will be streamed live by mdw at https://mdw.vhx.tv
A total of 6 songs:
- 3 songs of own choice from the chosen repertoire
- 3 songs selected by jury
- (2 songs by Johanna Müller-Hermann obligatory)
- duration of program: max. 25 minutes
The final round will take place at the Ehrbar Saal (Mühlgasse 30, 1040 Vienna, Austria).
© Erich Hermann
About Johanna Müller-Hermann
Johanna Müller-Hermann (1868–1941)
Johanna Müller-Hermann was an Austrian composer, music educator, and one of the first women to teach composition at a German-speaking conservatory. Born in Vienna in 1868, she grew up in a musical family, showing exceptional talent from an early age. She composed her own pieces and received lessons in piano and violin. Despite her abilities, her father insisted she pursue a conventional profession, leading her to train as a teacher and work at a Viennese elementary school.
It wasn’t until after her marriage to Otto Müller-Martini in 1893 that she was able to fully dedicate herself to music and continue her studies. She studied under prominent figures such as Alexander Zemlinsky, Guido Adler, and Franz Schmidt. Her compositional debut came in 1903 with the publication of her Seven Songs, Op. 1.
Müller-Hermann created an impressive body of work, including songs, chamber music, and orchestral pieces. Her compositions reflect the style of late Romanticism, characterized by extended tonality and expressive harmonies. Works like her Heroic Overture, Op. 21, and her String Quartet, Op. 6, showcase her ability to blend classical forms with modern sounds.
From 1918 to 1932, she taught music theory as a professor at the New Vienna Conservatory. While her music was recognized during her lifetime and performed in prestigious venues like the Vienna Musikverein, it was often viewed through the lens of contemporary biases against female composers.
Johanna Müller-Hermann passed away in Vienna in 1941. Though her work was largely forgotten for a time, it has recently been rediscovered and is now valued as a significant contribution to the music of the late Romantic era.
Application
The International Helmut Deutsch Lied Competition is a competition for singers until the age of 32 years (born on or after September 8th 1993). A pianist can be signed up along with the singer. If no accompanying pianist is stated on the application form, our official Pianist Andreas Fröschl will be assigned. (Pianists cannot apply without a singer.) Pianists up to age 32 (born on or after September 8th 1993) can participate in the awarding of special prizes if they send the requested additional documents and have paid the application fee. The application term for the competition is from 1st March 2025 until 20th August 2025.
The application fee for singers (or pianists, who want to apply for the special pianist prize) is 150 Euro. Payment has to be done via bank transfer to the following bank account:
- World Culture Networks GmbH
- Raiffeisenlandesbank
- IBAN: AT58 3200 0000 1459 0749
- BIC: RLNWATWW
- Reference: HD Lied + NAME
Please send your application to anmeldung@hd-lied.net until August 20th , 2025, and attach the following documents:
- Application form (completely filled out, with or without pianist)
- Repertoire form (completely filled out with your chosen competition repertoire, cannot be changed afterwards)
- CV (max. 200 words, fully formulated in German or English)
- separate profile picture (high quality, if possible 300 dpi/color, vertical format)
- scan of an official document (e.g. passport, ID, …)
- bank confirmation of fee payment
Applications are only accepted upon sending all documents (and payment) until August 20th 2025 (23:59 CEST). The application fee and all submitted documents cannot be refunded.
Same conditions and deadlines apply to pianists who register for the special prizes.
Jury
HELMUT DEUTSCH
(Pianist, Jury Chairman)
Helmut Deutsch ranks among the finest, most successful and in-demand song recital accompanists of the world. He was born in Vienna, where he studied at the Conservatory, the Music Academy and the University. He was awarded the Composition Prize of Vienna in 1965 and appointed professor at the age of twenty-four. Although he has performed with leading instrumentalists as a chamber musician, he has concentrated primarily on accompanying in song recitals. At the beginning of his career he worked with the soprano Irmgard Seefried, but the most important singer of his early years was Hermann Prey, whom he accompanied as a permanent partner for twelve years. Subsequently he has worked with many of the most important recital singers and played in the world’s major music centers. His collaborations with Jonas Kaufmann, Diana Damrau and Michael Volle are currently among his most important. Helmut Deutsch was a professor of Art Song Interpretation in Vienna, Salzburg, Frankfurt and Munich, holds masterclasses worldwide and is a juror in numerous international competitions.
Rico Gulda
(General Director of Esterhazy Private Foundation)
Rico Gulda, born in Zurich as the youngest son of a musical family, grew up in Munich, where he received piano lessons from his mother, Yuko, and Ludwig Hoffmann. He later studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. Additionally, he regularly worked with his father, Friedrich. He pursued a postgraduate degree in academic cultural management at the University of Vienna.
Initially following a career as a pianist, Rico Gulda performed internationally with the New Japan Philharmonic, the Orchestre National de Belgique, the Orchestra Svizzera della Italiana, the Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg, and orchestras in Vienna, Warsaw, and Brno. In chamber music, he collaborated with Matthias Goerne, Michael Schade, and Renaud Capuçon. Among his career highlights were concerts (in memory of his father) with Martha Argerich and his brother Paul in Japan, Munich, and Warsaw, as well as performances with the Vienna Philharmonic at the Wiener Konzerthaus.
Rico Gulda has taught at the Mozarteum Salzburg and in Seoul, South Korea, as well as serving as a guest lecturer at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, the University of Music in Würzburg, and the Danube University Krems. After 17 years as Artistic Operations Director at the Wiener Konzerthaus—where he and his team programmed nearly 600 in-house events per season—he transitioned on March 1st to become the General Director of the Esterházy Private Foundation. Additionally, he has served as the artistic director of the Upper Austrian Monastery Concerts since 2013. Rico Gulda is regularly invited as a juror at international competitions, including the Cliburn Competition in the USA and the Geza Anda Competition in Zurich. He is also a board member of the Vienna Chamber Orchestra and serves voluntarily on the advisory boards of the Busoni-Mahler Foundation and the Jam Music Lab University.
Cathrin Chytil
(Artistic Director of Ehrbar Saal Vienna)
Cathrin Chytil, born in Vienna, completed her Master’s degree in solo singing at the Konservatorium Wien Privatuniversität. Alongside her career as a dramatic soprano, she founded her own opera ensemble during her studies. Through this project, she took on the role of artistic director for various opera festivals, including the Völkermarkt Opera Festival from 2014 to 2019. In 2016, she served as the artistic director for the world premiere of Cinderella by Alma Deutscher in Vienna. Since 2024, Cathrin Chytil has been the artistic director of the Summer Opera at Schlosspark Kittsee. In the same year, she also served as a juror at the 2024 Andong Global Young Artist Competition. Through her diverse contributions, she plays a significant role in shaping the opera landscape.
As a cultural manager, Cathrin Chytil has been working at C. Bechstein Wien GmbH and, since 2022, has been the artistic director of the Ehrbar Saal, where she is particularly committed to supporting young talents.
Adrian Eröd
(Director of the Opera Studio – Vienna State Opera)
Adrian Eröd is one of the most successful Austrian singers of his generation.
Apart of the Vienna State Opera he performs at the Salzburg Festival, the Bayreuth Festival, the Semperoper in Dresden, the Scala in Milan, the Opéra de Paris, the Teatro Real in Madrid, the Chicago Lyric Opera, the Opera Zürich and the National Opera in Tokyo.
His roles include Figaro in BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA, Papageno, Count Almaviva, Eisenstein in THE BAT, Valentin in FAUST, Britten’S BILLY BUDD, Sixtus Beckmesser in DIE MEISTERSINGER VON NÜRNBERG, Loge in RHEINGOLD and Prospero in T.Adès’ THE TEMPEST.
Adrian Eröd is also frequently performing on the concert stage. He has appeared with the Vienna and the Berlin Phiharmonic, working with conductors such as Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Christian Thielemann, Riccardo Muti, Sir Simon Rattle and Andris Nelsons.
He is particularly fond of Lied and is singing recitals with Helmut Deutsch, Justus Zeyen and Christoph Traxler.
Elisabeth Reischl
(Artistic Planning – Wiener Konzerthaus)
Elisabeth Reischl was born in Salzburg, Austria, and has been working at the Wiener Konzerthaus for nearly 18 years. Since 2009 she has been responsible for Artistic Planning with a main emphasis on vocal projects, choirs and casting (Liederabende, oratorio, opera in concert and semi-staged, orchestral repertoire with vocal soloists, a cappella – projects, and more). She developed the mentoring program for young musicians called “Great Talent” at the Wiener Konzerthaus. Elisabeth has been on the jury of competitions such as the International Singing Competition for Baroque Opera Pietro Antonio Cesti, the International Otto Edelmann Singing Competition, the Stella Maris Vocal Competition, the Musica Juventutis Competition, the Premio Franz Schubert and on the Screening Jury of the Queen Sonja Singing Competition.
Gabriele Fontana
(Chamber Singer, University Professor for Lied and Oratorio at the University of Music in Vienna)
When the Austrian Soprano Gabriele Fontana marked her Debut at the Age of 21 as Pamina in the Frankfurt Opera House, she already was a Member in the Opera Studio at the Vienna State Opera, and had won the Bachprize at the international Competition in Leipzig, and the R. Tauber Memorial Prize in London. Her early Career continued when she became a member at the Hamburg State Opera, where she sang parts such as Pamina,Contessa,Fiordiligi,Elvira a.o. and where she created the Role of Sophie Scholl in U. Zimmermann´s “Weisse Rose”. Since then Fontana has been a regular presence at the world’s best opera houses making appearances in Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Geneva, Tokyo, Philadelphia, and New York with Major Roles like Fidelio, Chrysothemis,Kaiserin, Marschallin, Siglinde and Senta a.o. She has also been a regular performer at the Salzburg Festival and has made appearances at the Glyndebourne Festival, Vienna Festival, the Bregenzer Festspiele, the London Proms, Prague Spring Festival, and at festivals in Berlin, Dresden, Israel, the USA and Japan.
She has worked regularely with conductors as Blomstedt, Boulez, Barenboim, Davis, von Dohnanyi, Haitink, Leinsdorf, Mazur, Mehta, Sawallisch, Tate, Welser-Möst u.o. A new „Ring“ Production brought Fontanas Debut in Bayreuth under Thielemann.
A wide Discography documents her artistic way, like “Schubert-Lieder”, Bach Cantatas, ZDENKA/Arabella and Rheingold for DECCA, ROSALINDE/Naxos, Moses and Aron/DG, Lieder by H.Wolf/R.Strauss/Preiser and the first recording of all Songs by Clara Schumann.
Since 2007 she was o. Prof. for Lied and Oratorio at the Music University in Vienna, and has Masterclasses New York, Washington, Hamburg, England, Savonlinna, Amsterdam, Tokio, Taiwan.
Barbara Moser
(Chamber Musician, Lied-accompanist and Professor at the Viennese University of Music)
Barbara Moser studied piano from an early age at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna (now the University of Music) with Renate Kramer-Preisenhammer and later as a concert pianist with Heinz Medjimorec, as well as spending two semesters with Greta Kraus at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto, Canada. She received further artistic inspiration from Boris Bloch, Rudolf Buchbinder, Oleg Maisenberg and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf.
After a globally successful solo career spanning a quarter of a century, the artist shifted her focus to song accompaniment and chamber music a few years ago. She has performed with such extraordinary artists as Natalie Dessay and Plácido Domingo, is the founder of the Trio Variabile and often performs with leading members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in various formations.
Barbara Moser has been teaching at the Vienna University of Music since 1999 and has been a university professor since 2012. Her dissertation on the renunciation behaviour in Bellini’s opera ‘La Sonnambula’ was published by VDM-Verlag and received a ‘Best Publication Award’ in 2010.
©️Marcel Plavec
Andreas Fröschl
(Official Pianist)
Andreas Fröschl represents musical versatility at the highest level. In 2019 he won 2nd prize at the prestigious Bösendorfer Competition in Vienna and in the same year released his first solo album ‘Warum nicht.’ on Preiser Records – a double CD with both classical piano works and his own cabaret compositions.
Born in Munich in 1988 and raised in Landshut, Andreas Fröschl has been living in Vienna since 2008. He studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (MDW) with Oleg Maisenberg, Stefan Arnold, David Lutz and Charles Spencer, graduating with distinction in both piano performance and vocal accompaniment. While he has performed numerous recital programmes in recent years, his greatest passion lies in the art song genre. He has collaborated with renowned artists such as Fatma Said, Chen Reiss, Robert Holl, Florian Boesch, Patricia Nolz, Anna Prohaska, Michael Schade, Daniel Johannsen, Theresa Dax, Christoph Filler and Jan Petryka on numerous international stages. In 2014 he was awarded the prize for Best Lied Accompanist at the International Johannes Brahms Competition in Pörtschach.
His discography includes the 2016 album #talesoflove with Georg Klimbacher and the 2022 release 360° Hugo Wolf with Daniel Johannsen. Andreas Fröschl made his solo debut at the Vienna Musikverein in 2013 and his debut as Lied accompanist at the Vienna Konzerthaus in 2014. Since 2017 he has been teaching at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, first as an assistant for piano performance and since 2020 with great enthusiasm as a Lied accompanist in the class of Florian Boesch.
Prizes & Winners
Prizes of the 5th International Helmut Deutsch Lied Competition
1. Prize: 10.000 Euro – provided by WCN
2. Prize: 5.000 Euro – provided by WCN
3. Prize: 3.000 Euro – provided by WCN
Special prizes for pianists
provided by mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna
1. Prize: 5.000 Euro
2. Prize: 4.000 Euro
3. Prize: 3.000 Euro
mdw Special Prize – Audience prize
provided by mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna
1.500 Euro
Winner Concerts
The winner will be invited to perform concerts together with Helmut Deutsch in 2025/26.
January 17, 2026, at 7:00 PM at NEST – Neue Staatsoper im Künstlerhaus
TBA at Ehrbar Saal
Contact
World Culture Networks GmbH
Donau-City-Straße 6/2OG/Top2, 1220 Wien
Tel: +43 1 522 6243 17
E-Mail: office@hd-lied.net
www.hd-lied.net
Jury Chairman
Helmut Deutsch
Organisation
WCN – World Culture Networks GmbH
CEO Hyo Sook Song
General Manager Siwoung Song
Manager Zoya Anjum
Artistically supported by mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna
Cooperation Partners
