Winners of the 2026 Göttingen Handel Competition to perform at the Kölner Philharmonie

The Kölner Philharmonie warmly congratulates the ensemble Les Arcanes Baroques on its success at the 2026 Göttingen Handel Competition. The ensemble from The Hague was not only awarded first prize there, but also received the special prize »Music and Space«.

The special prize includes a performance on 13 September 2026 at the Kölner Philharmonie: Les Arcanes Baroques will be performing in Cologne as part of our anniversary programme.

The international jury particularly praised the exceptionally high standard of this year’s competition. Les Arcanes Baroques impressed with their musical expressiveness, their tonal sensitivity and their finely tuned ensemble playing.

The ensemble consists of Kira Dove and Benjamin Lenzmeier (violin/viola), Andreu Gènova (cello) and Elias Tulchynsky (basso continuo and violin). In addition to the »Music and Space« special prize, the ensemble also received the Bärenreiter Urtext Prize, alongside the Furore Ensemble.

The Göttingen Handel Competition is part of the International Handel Festival Göttingen and ranks among the most prestigious competitions for young early music ensembles.