INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS FOR BRASS INSTRUMENTS 1998–2024
Lieksa Brass Week came up with the idea of having international competitions for young brass players as a part of the festival in the mid 1980’s. However, it took years to turn the plans into reality because of the big economic recession in Finland in the early 1990’s.
Finally things started to come together, and the first Lieksa Brass Week competition was the Scandinavian trombone competition in 1998. Since then the theme instrument of each Lieksa Brass Week has had its own international competition at the festival. The first Lieksa International Brass Quintet Competition took place in 2009 to honour the 30th anniversary of the festival.
2024 The 6th Lieksa International Trumpet Competition (Raimo Sarmas in memoriam)
1. Zhengxu Ji (China)
2. (not given)
3. Shared by Oscar Torkildsen Brodahl (Norway) & Mehdi Mercier (France)
2023 The 4th Lieksa International Tuba Competition
1. Richard Bence Masa (Hungary)
2. Ilkka Marttila (Finland)
3. Joel Wendelin (Finland)
2022 The 5th Lieksa International French Horn Competition (Holger Fransman in memoriam)
1. Achille Fait (Italy)
2. Lauri Vasala (Finland)
3. Yang Liu (China)
2019 The 4th Lieksa International Trombone Competition (Olavi Lampinen in memoriam)
1. The first prize was not awarded
2. Pavlo Titiaiev (Ukraina)
3. Satoko Akutsu (Japani)
2018 The 3rd Lieksa International Euphonium Competition
1. Ayaka Sato (Japan)
2. Alfedo Leitaō (Portugal)
3. Tobias Reifer (Italy)
2017 The 5th Lieksa International Trumpet Competition (Raimo Sarmas in memoriam)
1. Huw Morgan (UK)
2. Javier Cantos Sanzhez (Espanja)
3. Renato Longo (Brasilia)
2016 The 4th Lieksa International French Horn Competition (Holger Fransman in memoriam)
1. Yun Zeng (China)
2. Xiaoxin Liu (China)
3. Aleksi Mäkimattila (Finland)
2015 The 3rd Lieksa International Trombone Competition
1. Thomas Callaux (France)
2. Audun Breen (Norway)
3. David Binder (USA)
2014 The 2nd Lieksa International Brass Quintet Competition
Competition was not held.
2013 The 3rd Lieksa International Tuba Competition
1. Miika Jämsä (Finland)
2. Alfonso Vinas Ramos (Spain)
3. Thomas Kerstner (Austria)
2012 The 4th Lieksa International Trumpet Competition (Raimo Sarmas in memoriam)
1. Miroslav Petkov (Bulgaria)
2. Juan Fernando Avendano (Colombia)
3. Xiang Guo (China)
2011 The 2nd Lieksa International Euphonium Competition
1. Glenn Van Looy (Belgium)
2. Gregory Battista (USA)
3. Kyohei Ando (Japan)
2010 The 3rd Lieksa International French Horn Competition (Holger Fransman in memoriam)
1. Ville Hiilivirta (Finland)
2. Jozsef Hars (Hungary)
3. Maksim Semenov (Russia)
2009 Lieksa International Brass Quintet Competition
1. Mediterranean Chamber Brass (Spain)
2. New Brass Quintet (Russia)
2008 The 2nd Lieksa International Trombone Competition (Olavi Lampinen in memoriam)
1. Juan Carlos Matamoros Cuenca (Spain)
2. Lars Karlin (Sweden)
3. Guilhem Gusnierek (France)
2007 The 3rd Lieksa International Trumpet Competition (Raimo Sarmas in memoriam)
1. Tomas Gricius (Lithuania)
2. Stanislav Ilchenko (Russia)
3. Kazuaki Kikumoto (Japan)
2006 The 2nd Lieksa International Tuba Competition
1. Bernd van Echelpoel (Belgium)
2. Miika Jämsä (Finland)
3. Bruno Osinski (France)
2005 The 2nd Lieksa International French Horn Competition (Holger Fransman in memoriam)
1. Jukka Harju (Finland)
2. Stefán Jón Bernhardsson Wilkinson (Iceland)
3. Renate Hupka (Germany)
2004 Lieksa International Euphonium Competition
1. Benjamin Pierce (USA)
2. Mark Carlson (USA)
3. Roland Fröscher (Switzerland)
2003 Lieksa International Trombone Competition
1. (not given)
2. shared by Antoine Ganaye (France) & Robert Kozánek (Czech Republic)
3. Guillaume Cottet- Dumoulin (France)
2002 The 2nd Lieksa International Trumpet Competition (Raimo Sarmas in memoriam)
1. (not given)
2. Timur Martynov (Russia)
3. Ibrahim Maalouf (France)
2001 Lieksa International Tuba Competition
1. shared by Roland Szentpáli (Hungary) & Alessandro Fossi (Italy)
2. (not given)
3. Arnaud Boukhitine (France)
2000 Lieksa International French Horn Competition (Holger Fransman in memoriam)
1. Simon Breyer (Germany)
2. Mika Paajanen (Finland)
3. Manuel Jarrega Ventura (Spain)
1999 Lieksa International Trumpet Competition (Raimo Sarmas in memoriam)
1. Touko Lundell (Finland)
2. Jaroslav Halir (Czech Republic)
3. Ismael Betancor Almeida (Spain)
1998 The Scandinavian Trombone Competition
1. Jessica Gustavsson (Sweden)
2. John Kotka (Finland)
3. Sigurdur Sveinn Thorbergsson (Iceland)
4. Andras Olsen