🎉 Victory! Grand Prize Winner of the 2025 International Cimbalom Competition
I’m overjoyed to share one of the proudest moments of my musical journey.
On May 24, 2025, I was named the overall winner of the 16th International Cimbalom Competition in ValašskĂ© MeziĹ™ĂÄŤĂ, Czech Republic — in the highest (fourth) age category. I received the highest score across all rounds, and an additional special jury award for the initiation of a new original work that significantly expands the technical capabilities of the cimbalom.
The news came unexpectedly — I was rushing from my final competition round to help organize a concert of students from China when a journalist stopped me for a photo. That’s how I found out: I had won.
Why did I decide to compete again?
Many asked me, “Why are you still competing?”
Since childhood, I’ve been taught that competitions aren’t about winning — they’re about growth, joy, and experience. I’ve been attending this festival — the most prestigious cimbalom competition — since I was 10. My first time, I finished seventh out of eight.
With every year, I improved — musically, personally, and even physically (I was a tiny boy back then!). I won the second category in 2015. In 2021, preparing for the first time from America, I placed second in the top category — and this year was my last chance to compete under the rules.
At the same time, I was living my New York dream with my cimbalom on Manhattan. So I told myself: Let’s go all in.
The road to victory
I adjusted my NYC schedule, practiced intensely, and performed the new competition repertoire at concerts in Chicago, New York, and MorĚŚkov in May.
For the final round, I premiered a brand new solo piece written for me by American composer Alan Kryszak. We began working together in October after a concert in Boston and the result was a technically and musically groundbreaking suite.
For this initiative, Alan and I received the special jury prize.
Gratitude
I prepared for this competition entirely on my own — without a teacher, but with deep support from mentors over the years in Czechia, China, and the U.S.. I’m incredibly grateful to my parents, my friends, and everyone who supported me on this journey.
Music is not a race. It’s a journey.
And I’m truly thankful for the path the cimbalom has taken me on — from Moravian hills to Manhattan and back again.
With gratitude,
Matej Cip – Cimbalom Guy