The International Fürstenau Flute Competition will be held for the first time in the German city of Münster, Westphalia, in 2023. With the competition, the GWK and the Münster University of Music, in cooperation with the Münster Symphony Orchestra and renowned jurors, want to support highly talented young flutists on their way to an international career. The IFFC is financially supported by the Volksbank im Münsterland eG and the Werte-Stiftung-Münsterland. The IFFC is financially supported by the Volksbank Münsterland Nord and the Werte-Stiftung-Münsterland.

The competition is named after the flute virtuoso, composer and teacher Anton Bernhard Fürstenau (1792 Münster – 1852 Dresden). Known throughout Europe as a musician in his day, Fürstenau is now to be brought back into the general consciousness as a composer of the Early Romantic period whose works have repertoire value, and the virtuoso flute repertoire is to be expanded through the dissemination of his compositions.

The International Fürstenau Flute Competition is looking for outstanding artistic personalities, flutists who inspire through their podium maturity, extraordinary musicality, expressive and creative power, their joy of playing, intellectual penetration of the musical score and technical brilliance. The award is given to authentic characters that fascinate the connoisseur and the expert, grip the enthusiast and the amateur, and thus make classical music an exciting alternative to the musical mainstream.

The competition will take place in three rounds in presence and with a pre-selection round via video. In addition to selection pieces, the IFFC repertoire includes compulsory pieces by Anton Bernhard Fürstenau and a commissioned composition by Thorsten Schmid-Kapfenburg.