From November 7 to 9, 2025, the 11th Bechstein Piano and String Competition took place, a renowned event that regularly brings together young musical talents from all over Germany.
Among the successful talents were the youngest musicians of the entire competition: student Hanna Gerda Machate (piano/ 9 years) and student Valentin Dymke (violin/ 8 years) from the Märkisch-Oderland district music school. They competed as the youngest duo in age group I (up to 10 years) and won third place – a remarkable achievement that underlined not only their technical ability but also their musical maturity.
The two young musicians were prepared for the competition by their teachers Ms. Chih-Yin Huang-Niemand and Ms. Kristin Sy, whose pedagogical skills made a significant contribution to this success.
The expert jury was impressed by the lively and at the same time profound performance of the two young talents. With a mixture of palpable joy in playing and an already astonishingly nuanced sense of sound, they managed to move the audience and make a lasting impression on the judges.
The Bechstein Competition has once again shown how important such platforms are for the promotion of young musicians. For Hanna Gerda Machate and Valentin Dymke, this was not only a great success, but certainly also a motivational boost for their future artistic careers. The Märkisch-Oderland District Music School and its teachers Ms. Huang-Niemand and Ms. Sy can be proud of these talented students. They have shown that passion and dedication to music know no age limits. A total of 28 duos took part in the three-day competition, 16 of which were awarded prizes at the end. The highlight and festive conclusion of the event was the prizewinners' concert on November 9, in which the award-winning young musicians presented their award-winning performances in front of a full hall and an enthusiastic audience.