Masterclasses with Hinrich Alpers

In November 2026, Professor Hinrich Alpers, the German pianist, teacher and winner of the Telekom Beethoven Competition Bonn, will lead a series of masterclasses at four music academies across Poland.

Organised by the Ludwig van Beethoven Association and the Telekom Beethoven Competition Bonn, the masterclasses will offer young pianists the opportunity to work closely with Professor Alpers on repertoire, interpretation and preparation for international competitions.

The sessions will also introduce participants to the Telekom Beethoven Competition Bonn. The next edition, in 2027, will coincide with the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s death, giving the competition particular historical significance.

The masterclasses are supported by media partner Polish Radio Programme 2.

The masterclasses will take place at four music institutions across Poland:

• 3–4 November 2026 – Fryderyk Chopin University of Music, Warsaw

• 5–6 November 2026 – Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music, Kraków

• 9–10 November 2026 – Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music, Bydgoszcz

• 12–13 November 2026 – Stanisław Moniuszko Academy of Music, Gdańsk

Each academy will host two days of intensive masterclasses, combining individual tuition with discussions on repertoire, musical interpretation and preparing for international competitions.

Around ten young pianists will be invited to perform and work with Professor Alpers at each venue, with other students welcome to attend and observe the sessions.

Hinrich Alpers won the third International Telekom Beethoven Competition Bonn in 2009, receiving First Prize, the Audience Prize and the Chamber Music Prize. His success marked the beginning of an international career and established him as one of the competition’s most prominent ambassadors.

A prizewinner at the Honens International Piano Competition, Alpers has performed at some of the world’s leading concert venues, including the Berlin Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall in New York and the Gasteig in Munich. His festival appearances include Beethovenfest Bonn, Klavier-Festival Ruhr and the Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival.

His wide-ranging repertoire includes the complete piano works of Beethoven, Schumann and Ravel, Rachmaninov’s piano concertos, and works by Szymanowski, Scriabin, John Cage and composers of the Second Viennese School.

He has recorded for Sony Classical and Deutsche Grammophon, and received an OPUS Klassik Award in 2018 for his recording of works by Rudi Stephan.

Alpers studied in Hanover and at the Juilliard School in New York. Since 2021, he has been Professor of Piano at the Carl Maria von Weber University of Music in Dresden. He also founded the Summer and Winter Academies of Music in Uelzen, Germany.

The masterclasses will give young pianists the chance to work closely with a musician whose international career has been shaped by his success at the competition in Bonn.

Drawing on his experience as a performer, teacher and competition juror, Professor Alpers will offer guidance on interpreting Beethoven’s music, putting together concert programmes, preparing for competitions and developing a distinctive musical voice.

The masterclasses will also help strengthen links between the Telekom Beethoven Competition Bonn and Poland’s music academies, bringing the competition closer to a new generation of pianists working within one of Europe’s richest musical traditions.