Each our traditional summer Festival-Tour is product of exciting cooperation of many individuals and organizations from both the United States and Austria. We like to recognize them by Opus number. In August 2024 the Golden Key Music Festival of Vienna will celebrate its Seventeenth edition by series of special events and concerts in the Vienna prestigious concert halls such as Ehrbarsaal and Boesendorfersaal at Mozarthaus, as well as in Salzburg, Baden and Eisenstadt. The Festival-Tour combines a unique artistic, performing, and educational experience for professional musicians and students with an exciting vacation for music lovers of all ages.
The core of the Festival-Tour retains its focus on providing participants with wonderful performance opportunities and an unforgettable experience of Austrian musical culture. Participants will:
• Spend the week with instrumentalists, vocalists, composers, and their families from all over the world.
• Perform at the Festival’s gala concert at the world-famous Ehrbarsaal, where Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler, and other famous musicians have performed.
• Attend Master Classes given by notable European music teachers, professors of the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts (mdw)
• Have the opportunity to play in a special concert dedicated to Mozart at the Boesendorfer Hall at Mozarthaus.
• Attend the premiere performance of the compositions written by the Golden Key Music Festival Piano Composition Competition’s Winners.
• Attend recitals of the Festival-Tour guest artists.
• Enjoy informative guided bus trips to historic Salzburg, Eisenstadt, Baden, and attend guided excursions to Mozarthaus Museum, Haus der Musik, Esterhazy’s Palace, Holographic Museum of Haydn, Beethoven Museum and others.
• Take walking tours of historic sites of Vienna, Salzburg, and Baden related to Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and other celebrities of the music world.
In addition to what it offers students, the Festival-Tour also provides music teachers an opportunity to play of their own in publicly acclaimed recitals in Vienna.
Finally, the Festival-Tour allows music lovers of all ages to join and attend the concerts as well as all scheduled trips and excursions.
Now in its sixteenth year, the Festival-Tour continues to get outstanding reviews from participants. See our Kudos page for a sample of reactions to this and other Golden Key Music Festival programs and also the promotional clip –
The Festival-Tour is open to instrumentalists, vocalists, and composers of all ages. Participants under 14, however, must be accompanied by a parent/guardian. Participants in the Festival-Tour can be of any age.
See the details of the day-to-day activities during the Festival-Tour HERE
In 2024, there are three different classes of applicants for the Golden Key Music Festival of Vienna:
• Performers who wish to participate in the Festival-Tour. In case they successfully pass the Audition, they will be granted the title of the Golden Key of Vienna International Music Festival Winner.
• Winners of the Golden Key Piano Composition Competition who wish to participate in the Festival-Tour and perform their compositions at the World Composers Concert.
• Teachers, parents, siblings of performers and independent music lovers who wish to participate in the Festival-Tour. Teachers are also welcome to participate in a public recital in Vienna (solo or ensemble).
Note: Festival-Tour participants must sign and agree to the terms and conditions of the Tour as stated in the Statement of Consent, Release, and Risk Allocation before being allowed to participate. Please, print out the Statement, fill in required information, sign the Statement and email to us it’s image.
Registration as a Performer:
To be accepted to the 2024 Festival-Tour Audition the instrumentalists and vocalists (solo and ensembles) should apply before January 16, 2024 for the online audition by following link: Apply as a Performer (pdf)
The Audition Fee could be sent electronically via PayPal ($75.00; our ID is goldenkeyfest@gmail.com), or wired directly to our bank account ($90.00 including the bank wiring charge). If you decide to wire the fee, ask us for the wiring information. If you have any questions regarding the registration procedure, please use our email address for communication: goldenkeyfest@gmail.com
*Please note, there are two Fees for the Performers: Audition Fee and Tour Fee please find here
Results of the audition will be emailed to the candidates not later than February 1, 2024.
To perform at the Gala Concert and participate in the Festival-Tour, please, email us before March 16, 2024:
• the Winner’s First and Last names, email and mailing addresses, and phone number.
• The Festival-Tour Fee(s) could be sent to us electronically via direct deposit to our bank account (send us the request for our account information).
NOTE: Parents, teachers, siblings, and friends of the Winner are also welcome to the Festival-Tour as Music Lovers. We expect to receive their names, gender, and DOB.
Registration Winners of the Piano Composition Competition
To perform at the Festival-Tour send to us before March 16, 2024:
• Email: Composer’s First and Last names, email and mailing addresses; phone number.
• The Festival-Tour Fee(s) should be wired directly to our bank account. Please, ask us for the wiring information. The Fees’ schedule, please, see below. (Fees) If you have any questions regarding to the registration procedure, please use our email.
*NOTE: Parents, teachers, siblings, and friends of winning composers also can join the Festival-Tour as Music Lovers by emailing to us their names, gender, and DOB.
Registration Music Lovers
To join the Festival-Tour as an independent music lover unaffiliated with either a student performer or a winning composer, you should before March 16, 2024:
• Email to us your First and Last names, contact information (address, email, phone), gender and DOB
• We recommend you wire the Tour Fee directly to our bank account (send the request for our account information to gk.musicfest@gmail.com) However, if you prefer to use PayPal for the transaction, please, add 5% to the amount (PayPal charge). The Fees’ schedule, please, see (here).
*Please note that all correspondence must be conducted via our ONLY official email addresses gk.musicfest@gmail.com or goldenkeyfest@gmail.com
• The music selection should be a part of the standard repertory from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, or Modern Era. Total performance time should not exceed 6 minutes.
• Recorded performances can be emailed as an attachment, or sent as a link to YouTube or some other publicly accessible internet site.
Video-performance Requirements
We suggest you to upload the pre-recorded performance on Youtube or similar public site and send us the clickable link. We do not require professionally made recording. The home video made by iPhone or simple video camera will provide to us acceptable level of quality.
Festival-Tour Fees
The Application Fee per performer is $75 if you send it via PayPal (our ID is goldenkeyfest@gmail.com) or $90 if you wire directly to our bank account (send the request for our account information to gk.musicfest@gmail.com). It should be paid at the time of submission, and no later than January 8, 2024.
The Festival-Tour Fee is $1980 per person. We recommend you wire the Tour Fee directly to our bank account (send the request for our account information to gk.musicfest@gmail.com) However, if you prefer to use PayPal for the transaction, please, add 5% to the amount (PayPal charge).
Fee includes:
• Accommodation in a double or twin bed room in 4 stars Hotel “ANANAS” in the City’s central part for 7 nights, including hot breakfast.
• Practicing time at Vienna MusikQuartier, performances at the concert halls, and commemorative awards and honors.
• Master Classes with notable Professors from the Vienna University of Music and Performing Arts (mdw).
• Transportation (metro, tram, bus) within Vienna.
• Admission to music and art museums that are part of the Festival-Tour.
• Admission to all concerts.
• Tours and guided excursions to musical and artistic landmarks in Vienna, Baden,
Eisenstadt and Salzburg.
• Scheduled parties and receptions.
If, however, you do not choose to stay at the Festival Hotel, but make your own arrangements for accommodation, the Festival-Tour Fee is reduced to: $1690 per person.
Performers at the Festival, Winners of the Piano Composition Competition, and other Tour participants are all responsible for the Tour Fee.
* All fees are non-refundable. Festival participants must email to us filled in and signed the Statement of Consent, Release, and Risk Allocation before being allowed to participate.
• Laureate Diplomas and Commemorative Medal will be presented at the Award Ceremony in Vienna to the applicant who passed the Audition and performed in the Gala Concert in Vienna.
• Special Diplomas will be given to those who participate in the other Concerts.
• The Certificate of Participation in the Master Class will be given immediately after the Master Class.
• The teachers of all Laureati (who also attends the Festival-Tour) will receive Certificates of Excellence.
NOTE: In order to receive these Awards, Laureati must have registered for the Festival-Tour and paid the appropriate recital fees.
For Students
In addition to the Festival Gala Concert at the Ehrbar Hall, Festival winners are also could to participate in the special concert dedicated to Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven in Boesendorfer Hall at the Mozarthaus. Only one selection per participant will be accepted. The selection’s performance time should not exceed five minute. Please, email a request to our office (goldenkeyfest@gmail.com) by April 17, 2024. In your message, please, write full name of the performer, full title of the selected music piece including opus, number and movement (if any), the composer’s name and indicate, please, the performing time. We encourage you to select for this recital music written by Viennese composers of the Classical Era.
For Teachers
The Golden Key Music Festival cordially invites music teachers of the Festival winners to perform at the Festival’s Vienna concert. The repertoire can range as widely as you wish within the realm of academic music from the Baroque through the Modern eras. Solo instruments as well as chamber groups are welcome. There is no time minimum limit, but performance may not exceed 10 minutes. Please, contact our office by email goldenkeyfest@gmail.com with performing proposal not later than April 17, 2024
To participate in these optional concerts, the teacher should be a registered member of the Golden Key Music Festival Tour.
Each participant in the Golden Key Music Festival of Vienna has the opportunity to attend Master Classes taught by some of Vienna’s notable musicians. Festival masters have included, among others:
• Stephan Möller
• Konstantin Semilakovs
• Thomas Kreuzberger
• Wolfram Wagner
• Klara Pantillon
• Anna Leyerer
Stephan Möller (Austria/Germany)
Stephan Möller first gained prominence as a prizewinner at the 1985 International Beethoven Competition in Vienna. Since then his busy concert schedule has taken him to Japan, China, North and South America as well as all over Europe. Performing all the standard repertoire, Stephan Möller has concentrated especially on the interpretation of the Viennese Classics…
Stephan Möller (Austria/Germany)
Professor Stephan Möller first gained prominence as a prizewinner at the 1985 International Beethoven Competition in Vienna. Since then his busy concert schedule has taken him to Japan, China, North and South America as well as all over Europe.
Performing all the standard repertoire, Stephan Möller has concentrated especially on the interpretation of the Viennese Classics, in particular Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas, as well as on Franz Liszt’s paraphrases of Wagner opera scenes and his transcriptions of Beethoven Symphonies. Among his CD recordings, there are such rarities as Beethoven’s “Grosse Fuge” and the complete piano works by Richard Wagner.
Born in Hamburg, Germany, Stephan Möller studied piano and conducting at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. From 1983 to 1989 he assisted Herbert von Karajan and other world-renowned conductors at the Salzburg Festival. In 1990, he took up an appointment at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. He is president of the Vienna International Pianists Association and their festival, the “VIP Academy.” Stephan Möller’s Page
Konstantin Semilakovs (Austria/Germany)
Konstantin Semilakovs, born 1984 in Riga, Latvia, won First Prize at the International Piano Competition in Porto, Portugal. In 2018 he was appointed professor of piano at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. He is particularly interested in studying the phenomenon of colour perception in the classical piano repertoire as well as in synesthetic…
Konstantin Semilakovs (Austria/Germany)
Konstantin Semilakovs, born 1984 in Riga, Latvia, won First Prize at the International Piano Competition in Porto, Portugal. In 2018 he was appointed professor of piano at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. He is particularly interested in studying the phenomenon of colour perception in the classical piano repertoire as well as in synesthetic performances of the music of Olivier Messiaen, Alexander Scriabin, and other composers.
Konstantin Semilakovs has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician at the International Beethoven Festival Bonn, the Braunschweig Classix Festival, and at the music festivals of Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. He performed Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy with the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra at the Meistersingerhalle. Semilakovs was awarded the Classical Music Prize of WDR Radio and the City of Münster, the Hans Sikorski Memorial Award, and the Sponsorship Award of the Ingolstadt Concert Association.
Semilakovs studied with Wolfgang Manz at the University of Music in Nuremberg and with Michael Wladkowski at the École Normale de Musique Alfred Cortot in Paris.
Preceding the professorship in Vienna, he taught at the Universities of Music in Nuremberg and Regensburg, as well as at the University Mozarteum Salzburg. https://www.semilakovs.com
Thomas Kreuzberger (Austria)
Thomas Kreuzberger, born in Vienna, studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna (Hans Petermandl, Frieda Valenzi), master classes with Alexander Jenner and Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, concerts in Europe, America, China and Japan, specializing in contemporary and virtuoso literature. CD recordings of works by Liszt, Schumann and Eröd as well as four-hand…
Thomas Kreuzberger (Austria)
Thomas Kreuzberger, born in Vienna, studied at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna (Hans Petermandl, Frieda Valenzi), master classes with Alexander Jenner and Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, concerts in Europe, America, China and Japan, specializing in contemporary and virtuoso literature. CD recordings of works by Liszt, Schumann and Eröd as well as four-hand literature with Elisabeth Eschwe and Krassimira Jordan. Since 1993 Professor at the University of Music in Vienna, 2004 appointment as University Professor and Director of the Institute II for Music Conducting at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. Head of a concert class at the Vienna Conservatory – Private University. He represents the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna as a member of the federal advisory board at the largest competitions for young musicians (Prima la Musica and Gradus ad Parnassum), lecturer and board member of the Vienna Music Seminar, master classes in Japan, China and the USA, jury member at numerous international competitions. Thomas Kreuzberger’s Page
Wolfram Wagner (Austria)
Wolfram Wagner, born Austria, composer with a busy performance schedule in almost all of Europe, USA, Japan. Radio and CD recordings. Numerous national and international composition awards. Since 1992 professor in harmony and counterpoint at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst (mdw)in Vienna, lectures at the Coservatory in Pariser Konservatorium…
Wolfram Wagner (Austria)
Wolfram Wagner, born Austria, composer with a busy performance schedule in almost all of Europe, USA, Japan. Radio and CD recordings. Numerous national and international composition awards.
Since 1992 professor in harmony and counterpoint at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst (mdw)in Vienna, lectures at the Coservatory in Pariser Konservatorium and at the Universities in Amsterdam and Greensboro/USA.
studied composition at the Universität für Musik in Vienna with Erich Urbanner and Francis Burt;
Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London with Robert Saxton; Musikhochschule Frankfurt with Hans Zender.
Publishers:
Doblinger; Hofmeister; Helbling; NÖ Musikedition; Apoll Edition; Contemporary Art and Edition
Compositions:
•so far 5 operas, 2 short operas, 4 oratorios, 1 ballett, works for orchestra, choir, chamber music, songs
•performances and broadcastings in many European countries, USA, South America, Aegypt, India, Korea, Japan
•several CD productions (ORF, Gramola, Extraplatte, Vienna Modern Masters, KKM Records et al.)
http://www.wolfram-wagner.com
Klara Pantillon (Austria)
Klara Elizabeth Pantilllon has been a Professor of Violin at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg since 2005. She was born in Vienna, and studied with Grete Biedermann at the Vienna Conservatory, obtaining her diploma “with honours.” She completed her studies with Christian Ferras (Paris) and Arthur Grumiaux (Brussels), and took master classes with Henryk Szeryng…
Klara Pantillon (Austria)
Klara Elizabeth Pantilllon has been a Professor of Violin at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg since 2005. She was born in Vienna, and studied with Grete Biedermann at the Vienna Conservatory, obtaining her diploma “with honours.” She completed her studies with Christian Ferras (Paris) and Arthur Grumiaux (Brussels), and took master classes with Henryk Szeryng, Nathan Milstein and Augustin Dumay.
She is a long-time member of the Flieder Trio and currently a member of both the Leschetizky Trio-Vienna and the Hyperion Ensemble Salzburg. She has performed as both a soloist and as a chamber musician throughout Europe, appearing at Festivals such as the Kuhmo Festival in Finland, and the Midsummer Music Festival Umea in Sweden as well as in concert halls such as the Vienna Musikverein, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées (Paris), and the South Bank Center (London).
She has taught at the Music Universities of Vienna and Graz, and taught master classes in violin in Austria, Sweden and Spain.
Klara Pantillon’s Page
Anna Leyerer (Austria)
Anna Leyerer is a concert pianist living in Vienna, Austria. Anna Leyerer regularly performs at music festivals and concert halls all over the word. As a soloist and member of chamber music ensembles Anna has performed in concert halls in Armenia, Austria, Czech Republic, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Russia, Ukraine and the United States…
Anna Leyerer (Austria)
Anna Leyerer is a concert pianist living in Vienna, Austria. Born in the rural city Penza (Russia), she received her early musical education at the Penza Music School and the Penza Music College in the class of G. A. Grossman. She pursued and completed her graduate degree at the Saratov State Conservatory L. V. Sobinov under Prof. L. I. Shugom. After a short stint as lecturer at the Saratov State Conservatory she moved to Austria to continue her piano performance studies with Prof. Oleg Marshev at the Anton Bruckner University where she graduated with distinction in 2016. Anna also holds a Master of Arts degree in pedagogy from the Anton Bruckner University in Linz, which she finished under Prof. Michael Korstick in 2019. Recently Anna completed her post graduate studies at the Piano Academy Neue Sterne in Hanover, where she refined her piano playing craft with the renowned teacher and pianist Albert Mamriev. Anna also had the privilege of receiving masterclasses form notable musician such as A. Greene, Ch. Hinterhuber, M. Korstick, E. Kupie, S. Möller, W. Nabore, N. Petrow, S. Pochekin, N. Trull and M. Voskresensky.
Anna Leyerer regularly performs at music festivals and concert halls all over the word. As a soloist and member of chamber music ensembles Anna has performed in concert halls in Armenia, Austria, Czech Republic, Croatia,
France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Russia, Ukraine and the United States, where she debuted with a recital at the Carnegie Hall (Weill Recital Hall) in New York in 2015. She also has been featured
as soloist with various symphony orchestra headed by A. Ivanov (Russia), E. Serov (Russia), V. Ponkin (Russia), I. Kazhdan (Ukraine), O. Balan (Cantu, Italy), F. Krager (USA), I. Iliev (Bulgaria) and Ch. Fitzner (Germany).
https://www.anna-pavlova.com