Competition Overview
The Nanosymphony EU Jazz Composition Contest 2025, held from 1 October to 10 December 2025, successfully concluded with the announcement of its results on 29 December 2025. The competition attracted a diverse group of emerging jazz composers up to the age of 35 from across the European Union, confirming its growing reputation as an important platform for discovering and promoting new compositional voices in contemporary European jazz.
The contest offered participants the opportunity to present original and unpublished compositions written for ensembles ranging from quintet to full big band, encouraging stylistic diversity, innovative approaches to jazz composition, and the creative integration of personal and cultural influences. The high number and artistic quality of submissions reflected the strong interest of young composers in large-ensemble jazz writing and contemporary orchestration.
The submitted compositions were assessed by an international jury chaired by Matúš Jakabčic (SK), alongside Ľuboš Šrámek (SK), Jan Jirucha (CZ), and Kornél Fekete-Kovács (HU). Their expertise and broad artistic backgrounds ensured a rigorous and transparent evaluation process, maintaining a consistently high professional and artistic standard throughout the competition.
The contest was organized by Nanosymphony, o.z., in cooperation with its partners — Slovak Arts Council, Music Fund Slovakia, and The Music Centre Slovakia — whose support was instrumental in fostering young talent, supporting artistic excellence, and strengthening the international visibility of contemporary European jazz composition.
Awarded Compositions:
🏆 2nd Prize: Ján Rigó /HU/ – Song for J.C.
🥉 3rd Prize: Marie Kašpárková /CZ/ – Heľpin‘
🎖 Special Prize: Ian Chung /AT/ – This Is Where It Begins
🎖 Special Prize: Elizabeth Lopez /AT/ – La Noche Más Oscura
🎖 Special Prize: David Mandlburger /AT/ – Between the Waves
🎖 Special Prize: Dominik Radoń /PL/ – The Naughty Little Goat
Awards & Distinctions
Ján Rigo Jr. (b. 1995) is a Slovak jazz pianist who began classical piano studies at the age of six and turned to jazz at twelve. In 2013, he achieved major success at the 2nd National Jazz Competition in Budapest, winning 1st prize with his ensemble and 3rd prize as a solo pianist. He studied jazz piano at the Egressy Béni Jazz Academy in Budapest.
Marie Kašpárková (1990) studied playing the violin concerned on education at Charles University in Prague (graduated in 2015). In 2012 she spent one semester studying Music at UCD in Dublin. Since 2013 she has been working as a music teacher at several Music Schools in Prague, Jihlava and Trest (she teaches plying the violin, music theory and she leads the school jazz band). She attended amount of workshops concerned on jazz interpretation (violin and piano), composition and arrangement (LJD in Frýdlant, MJDDŠ in Piešťany, Grappeli-Camp in Netherlands etc.).
Ian Yeonchan Chung is a composer and pianist who creates a distinctive voice by combining elements of classical, jazz, and non-Western music to transcend cultural boundaries and reach a diverse audience globally. He completed his Master of Music at Brooklyn College under the supervision of Tania León and Jason Eckardt, where he cultivated his cosmopolitan approach to music composition. He also studied jazz composition with Michael Mossman, who helped to build his musical identity. In 2025-26, Chung will pursue a postgraduate degree as a Fulbright Scholar at Kunstuniversität Graz and studying with Professor Ed Partyka.
Elizabeth Lopez is a Dominican composer, arranger, pianist, and music copyist based in Graz, Austria; currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Jazz Composition and Arrangement at the Kunstuniversität Graz.
While still being at the beginning stage of her career, Elizabeth has worked as a freelance arranger, orchestrator, and transcriber, contributing to major symphonic projects in the Dominican Republic and the United States. Her orchestral work includes arrangements for Francisco Céspedes, La Sophy de Puerto Rico, and most recently having the oportunity to arrange for a Celia Cruz tribute at the Adrienne Arsht Center.
Dominik Radoń is a Polish conductor, composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist. He began his musical education in 2012, studying trombone, guitar, and later saxophone. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Symphony and Opera Conducting (2023) and a bachelor’s degree in Composition (2025) at the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz, followed by a master’s degree in Choral Conducting at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków. In 2025 he began parallel master’s programs in Conducting and in Composition with Electronic, Film, and Theatre Music at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw
David Mandlburger studied Jazz Guitar in Vienna and Eisenstadt with Gerald Gradwohl, Martin Kelner and Andreas Tausch. He is currently enrolled in the Masters Program for Jazz Composition and Arrangement at KUG Graz where he is studying with Ed Partyka. David is living and working in Vienna where he is an active member of the local Jazz and World Music Scene, working with bands such as Baba Yaga, Mira Perusich, Christina Zurbrügg, and regularly touring across Europe.
