Three young musicians awarded first-ever Klaus Froboese Youth Prizes
The Klaus Froboese Youth Prize, which was created to support young musicians in the field of early music, especially the music of George Frideric Handel, has its first winners. The award, presented by the International Handel Society in collaboration with the Handel Society Karlsruhe and the Conservatory of the City of Halle (Saale), was presented on 29 November 2025 following public auditions.
The first prize of €500 was won by oboist Annika Poltersdorf. A special prize for ornamentation was awarded to recorder player Lydia Hädicke, while recorder player Tabea Baumert received a prize for young talent. A five-member jury evaluated the performances of the young talents.
Dr Alexander Vogt, Mayor of Halle (Saale) and patron of the competition, emphasised: “The prize and competition wonderfully combine recognition, honour, promotion and our Handel tradition. On the one hand, we commemorate the great musician and director of our opera, Klaus Froboese. On the other hand, we support outstanding talents among our young musicians. I would like to thank our partners, the International Handel Society based in Halle (Saale) and the Handel Society Karlsruhe, for their commitment and for endowing the prize.”
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hirschmann, chairman of the jury and president of the International Handel Society, was delighted: ‘I am very happy that we found a highly qualified field of applicants right from the start, which made our decisions really difficult.’ The three prize winners will receive their awards at two festive events: in February 2026 at the International Handel Youth Prize winners’ concert in Karlsruhe and in June 2026 during the General Meeting of the International George Frideric Handel Society in Halle (Saale). On both occasions, they will present their talent to a wide audience.
Call for entries for the Klaus Froboese Youth Prize 2026
– Under the patronage of the Lord Mayor of the City of Halle Dr. Alexander Vogt –
The “Klaus Froboese Youth Prize of the International George Frideric Handel Society Halle (Saale) within the International Handel Youth Prize of the Handel Society Karlsruhe” will be awarded for the first time in 2026. It will be organized in cooperation with the “Georg Friedrich Händel” Conservatory, Halle (Saale), and the Handel Society Karlsruhe and will be awarded every two years in future. The patron is the Lord Mayor of the City of Halle (Saale), Dr. Alexander Vogt.
According to its statutes, the Karlsruhe Handel Society is dedicated to the promotion of young artists; it has therefore been awarding the International Handel Youth Prize every year since 1995. In the spirit of the partnership between the cities of Karlsruhe and Halle and their Handel Societies, the Handel Society Halle endows the Klaus Froboese Youth Prize, which enables the winner from Halle to take part in the prizewinners’ concert in Karlsruhe. The competition is based on the guidelines of the International Handel Youth Prize 2026 of the Händel-Gesellschaft Karlsruhe e. V.
The prize is dedicated to the memory of Klaus Froboese (1947-2019), who worked as the director of the Halle Opera from 1991 to 2008 and promoted the spread of historically informed performance practice in a special way. It was at his instigation that the Handel Festival Orchestra was founded in the early 1990s, which still performs today as a specialist ensemble for early music on period instruments. He bequeathed part of his estate to the Handel Society, which is used to finance the prize and thus support the work of young musicians in the field of early music, especially Handel’s music.
The price
The prize is endowed with 500 €. The certificate will be presented at the prizewinners’ concert during the International Handel Festival in Karlsruhe. The prize includes free membership of the Handel Societies in Halle and Karlsruhe (free of charge until the end of professional training, at the latest until the age of 27) and two concert appearances:
- Sunday, 22.02.2026, 11:00 a.m., Prizewinners’ Concert of the International Handel Youth Prize in the Kleines Haus of the Badisches Staatstheater in Karlsruhe
- Saturday, 06.06.2026, 11:00 a.m., General Meeting of the Georg-Friedrich-Händel-Gesellschaft Halle in the Chamber Music Hall of the Händel-Haus
Who can take part?
The competition is aimed at pupils, students, private individuals and chamber music ensembles living, studying or teaching in the city of Halle (Saale) and is open to all instruments and/or singing:
- Age range: 8-20 years (reference date: 31.12.2025)
- The presentation should be given exclusively by pupils. Accompaniment by a non-judged adult is permitted during the audition; in the prizewinners’ concert in Karlsruhe, the accompaniment should then be provided by pupils/students from Karlsruhe if possible.
- If there are too many applications, the jury reserves the right to limit the number of participants (the criterion is the date of registration).
The program
- Baroque works (1620-1750), preferably including a composition by George Frideric Handel; arrangements of Handel’s works are permitted
- max. one work from another epoch, duration max. 4 minutes or 20 % of the audition time
- Solo pieces and chamber music (with or without basso continuo accompaniment)
- The harpsichord is the preferred keyboard instrument for the continuo; the Conservatory provides a harpsichord tuned to 415/440 Hz with equal temperament.
Prelude
- The audition is open to the public.
- Duration of the audition 8 to 20 minutes (depending on age, 8 minutes for 8-year-olds, 9 minutes for 9-year-olds, etc.; for ensembles, the average age counts); at the beginning, the participants briefly present their program (approx. 3 minutes).
- Place and time: Saturday, 29.11.2025, in the concert hall of the Conservatory, House 2, Schillerstraße 47, 06114 Halle (Saale)
- On the day of the audition, rooms are available at the Conservatory for practice.
- Two copies of each score must be kept ready for the jury.
- Private audio, image and video recordings during the audition are not permitted.
Application
The registration form is available at www.haendel.de and can be obtained from the teacher.
- Application deadline for the 2026 prize: 25.10.2025
- The application is preferably made by the respective teacher, but it is also possible for the participants themselves or a parent or guardian to apply.
- The registration form with attachments on the program, instrumentation and brief information on the participants should be sent to (as a letter and by e-mail): → Ms. Martina Quaas, Conservatory “Georg Friedrich Händel”, Music School of the City of Halle, Mötzlicher Str. 15b, 06118 Halle (Saale) → martina.quaas@halle.de
The jury
The jury decides on the awarding of the Klaus Froboese Youth Prize. Its members are: Irene Weber-Froboese (Lucerne), Dr. Judith Marquardt (Councillor for Culture of the City of Halle), Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hirschmann (President of the Georg-Friedrich-Händel-Gesellschaft Halle) and specialists in early music who are not teachers of the participants. The specific line-up will be announced before the audition begins.
Tone, dynamics, articulation and phrasing, ornamentation, intonation, rhythm, ensemble playing, breathing technique, pronunciation and external performance are assessed. Basic knowledge and skills in the area of historically informed performance practice are desirable. The jury reserves the right to cancel the performance in individual cases. The result will be announced promptly by the President of the Handel Society Halle. The jury’s decision cannot be contested. It is up to the jury to award sponsorship prizes as part of the Klaus Froboese Youth Prize. The winners will be announced publicly, e.g. on the homepage of the Halle Handel Society and in the festival program of the Karlsruhe International Handel Festival. Permission will be obtained in advance for the use of photographic material.
Prizewinners’ concert in Karlsruhe and concert in Halle
The public prizewinners’ concert of the International Handel Youth Prize in Karlsruhe will take place as part of the International Handel Festival Karlsruhe on Sunday, 22.02.2026, 11:00 a.m. in the Kleines Haus of the Badisches Staatstheater in Karlsruhe. The participation of the winner of the Klaus Froboese Youth Prize is obligatory. The performance should not exceed 10 minutes. At the beginning, the award winners briefly present the program to the audience (approx. 3 minutes).
The Badisches Staatstheater will provide a harpsichord in equal temperament of 415/440 Hz. Detailed information on the program as well as the sheet music for a possible accompaniment from Karlsruhe must be sent to the Chairman of the International Handel Youth Prize Karlsruhe, Prof. Dr. Peter Overbeck, by 15.12.2025 : haendel-ka@web.de.
The Georg-Friedrich-Händel-Gesellschaft will cover the prizewinner’s travel and accommodation expenses, based on the relevant provisions of the Federal Travel Expenses Act. The travel expenses will be settled by Ms. Ulrike Harnisch, office of the Handel Society Halle: gesellschaft@haendel.de
The General Meeting of the International Handel Society in Halle will take place during the Handel Festival on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. in the Chamber Music Hall of the Handel House. The appearance of the Klaus Froboese Youth Award winner is also obligatory here. The details will be arranged in advance with the office of the Handel Society Halle.
