Oboist Leonid Surkov wins the ARD International music competition

This year, oboist Leonid Surkov has been named the winner in the oboe category of the ARD International Music Competition. At EG-REEDS, we’d like to congratulate all the winners and participants for their exceptional talent and for continuously elevating the world of oboe with their hard work.

The ARD International Music Competition is recognized as one of the most prestigious events in classical music, particularly in the world of oboe, and the 2024 edition was no exception.

The final of the 2024 ARD Competition brought together the best emerging talents from the oboe world, who dazzled both the jury and the audience with their high-level performances. The first prize was awarded to Leonid Surkov of Russia, whose performances of both classical and contemporary works impressed with their virtuosity and artistic expression.

The second prize went to Ilyes Boufadden Adloff from France, who stood out for his technical mastery and emotionally rich performance. Finally, the third prize was shared between Omer-Itzhak Posti from Israel and João Miguel Moreira da Silva from Portugal, who also won the audience prize.

Structure and Phases of the 2024 ARD Oboe Competition

The 2024 ARD Competition took place in several stages from September 4 to 13 in Munich. During the first few days, two elimination rounds were held, with only the top performers advancing to the semifinals, where the difficulty level increased significantly. Finally, just four contestants made it to the grand final on September 13.

Semifinals of the 2024 ARD Competition

On September 10, during the semifinals, the selected oboists had the chance to perform with the Munich Chamber Orchestra. Contestants were judged not only on their technical precision but also on their expressive capabilities with the oboe. They performed Mozart’s Oboe Concerto and Cathy Milliken’s “Espirar,” a solo oboe piece commissioned for the 2024 ARD International Music Competition.

It’s also worth noting the participation of the talented Spanish oboist Ángel Luis Sánchez Moreno, who reached the semifinals. We were fortunate to interview him here.

Interview with Ángel Luis Sánchez Moreno

Here’s the list of semifinalists, all of whom are remarkable oboists worth following:

Ilyes Boufadden Adloff, France – advanced to the final.
Leonid Surkov, Russia – advanced to the final.
Marlene Gomes, Portugal.
João Miguel Moreira da Silva, Portugal – advanced to the final.
Omer-Itzhak Posti, Israel – advanced to the final.
Ángel Luis Sánchez Moreno, Spain.

Grand Final of the 2024 ARD Competition

The grand final took place on September 13 at the prestigious Herkulessaal concert hall in Munich, one of Europe’s most important venues for classical music. During the final, contestants performed Richard Strauss’s “Oboe Concerto,” accompanied by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Hankyeol Yoon. In the end, Leonid Surkov took home both the first prize and the award for best performance of the commissioned work. Our sincere congratulations to the winner!

As mentioned earlier, the second prize went to Ilyes Boufadden Adloff from France, and the third prize was shared between Omer-Itzhak Posti from Israel and João Miguel Moreira da Silva from Portugal, with the latter also winning the audience award.

Below is a recording of the final, in case you’d like to listen to it.

Warm regards to all, and happy reed-making!