Art Song Challenge
2025
“A dash of Eurovision madness for
art song.”
— Schweizer Musikzeitung
130+ applications from 29 countries
In 2025, LIEDBasel, Leeds Song, Schubertíada Vilabertran, Liedstadt and Heidelberger Frühling joined forces to launch the first Art Song Challenge.
Inspired by the energy surrounding the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel, the ASC set out to rethink how song is discovered, presented and experienced.
The aim was not simply to create another competition, but to open new pathways for artists, challenge established selection processes and bring a greater diversity of voices, traditions and artistic ideas to European stages.
the process
The first ASC began with an open, video-based call for professional musicians living in Europe. Artists could apply as soloists or duos without an entry fee and without travelling to a live audition.
The definition of song was deliberately broad: a musical contribution combining text and voice, performed a cappella or accompanied by an instrument, electronics or other musical elements.
More than 130 applications arrived from 29 countries. The submissions ranged from classical art song and contemporary composition to folk traditions, electronic sound worlds and interdisciplinary performance.
The partner festivals reviewed the applications and selected projects that reflected the artistic, cultural and geographical diversity of the first challenge.
meet the winners
Each partner festival awarded a concert prize, offering selected artists a paid performance opportunity on one of Europe’s leading art song stages. From among the shortlisted acts, audiences were invited to choose the recipient of the Audience Award. The extraordinary range of submissions—from intimate interpretations to bold, genre-defying concepts revealed just how diverse, imaginative and alive art song is today.
GERDA IGUCHI
GERMANY
Gerda Iguchi brought Wagner’s “Träume” into an electronic ambient sound world. Her project connects the emotional intensity of the Wesendonck-Lieder with synthesised textures, live electronics and a contemporary performance language.
LATVIA / FRANCE
The soprano & pianist combine art song, spoken text & theatrical elements. Their programmes create intimate spaces between music, memory, desire and imagination.
KATRĪNA PAULA
FELSBERGA & JUSTINE
ECKHAUT
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LENA KUCHLING & BERNHARD HÖCHTEL
AUSTRIA
The Viennese duo moves between pop, Schlager, Wienerlied and chanson, combining humour and depth, lightness and melancholy. Their song Schaun explores the ambiguities and small absurdities of everyday life. Through voice, piano and original compositions, they create music that tells stories, shares emotions and opens up new perspectives.
MIKHAIL TIMOSHENKO &
ELITSA DESSEVA
The baritone and pianist bring theatrical imagination, stylistic versatility and a strong sense of storytelling to the song recital. Their work connects classical repertoire with unexpected contemporary perspectives.
RUSSIA / BULGARIA
The duo combines folk, tribal and classical traditions from the South Asian subcontinent with jazz, pop, improvisation and influences from around the world.
Their music tells stories of migration, cultural exchange and shared human experience.
NISHAD PANDEY &
ARKO MUKHAERJEE
AUSTRALIA / INDIA