The European Union of Music Competitions for Youth (EMCY) is a European umbrella organisation for about fifty national and international music competitions for young people. Founded in the 1960s in order to develop the musical education of young Europeans, EMCY arranges concerts (with and without orchestra), broadcasts, tours, award ceremonies, master classes and courses for outstanding competition prize winners throughout Europe.
Every year, thousands of musicians under the age of twenty-five take part in EMCY competitions, and its projects with the European Broadcasting Union reach audiences across Europe. EMCY is a registered association under German law with an elected international board of five representatives, headed since 2012 by chairman Paul Scholer. Its registered office is in Munich, Germany. In 2010 EMCY celebrated its 40th birthday at the General Assembly in Heerlen, Netherlands.
The EMCY Board is elected every four years at the General Assembly. Current members are:
The EMCY Office is hosted by Jugend musiziert, the German National Competition organised by the German Music Council in Munich, Germany. It is run by Sophie Duhnkrack, Secretary General of EMCY.
The EMCY General Assembly gathers, in general, every two years in a different European country at the invitation of an EMCY Member Competition. The last one was held in Luxembourg (Luxembourg) in 2014, hosted by the Concours Luxembourgeois pour Jeunes Solistes (UGDA).
Recent General Assemblies have been held in:
National Competitions
Participation in these competitions is usually reserved for nationals or residents of the respective country. This often includes schools abroad, students at conservatoires or ex-patriates, however.
International Competitions
These competitions are open to participants from all over the world. Many include categories which change every year.
EMCY works to help as many prize winners as possible in their musical and personal development. Performance and training opportunities throughout Europe are arranged by EMCY, together with its member competitions and partners. These concerts, tours, workshops, and master classes are international meeting points for young musicians and are for many an important launch pad for their musical careers.