Akkordeon Grenzenlos, an event organized by the Hohner Conservatory in Trossingen, Germany, has become a fixture in the international accordion world in just a few years. With its numerous concerts, workshops, and forums, the festival has become a widely recognized cultural highlight.

Attending Akkordeon Grenzenlos 2025 (Accordion Without Boundaries 2025), thus represented a holistic experience for all participants, providing important inspiration for their further exploration of the accordion.

The workshops, led by top-class instructors, were aimed at players of all harmonica instruments, including accordion, harmonica, Styrian harmonica, diatonic, and other instruments.

Tian Long Li focused on the genre of jazz, Matthias Matzke took the audience into the world of rock and pop, and Alex Almeida taught all fans of Brazilian accordion music the basics of the captivating musical style of Forró. Jakob Steinkellner offered a unique blend of theory and practice of the Styrian accordion, combining tradition with creative, new approaches.

Each instructor inspired, enthused, and pushed boundaries in their own way – musically and personally. All accordion teachers were also offered the special workshop “A New Technical Approach,” in which the internationally sought-after Frédéric Déschamps shared his expertise and provided valuable inspiration for teaching practice. Hans-Günther Kölz’s “Accordion Pur” was dedicated to passionate amateur musicians.

The competitors in the Classical, Popular (seniors and juniors), and Ensemble (Chamber Music and World Music) categories fought with great commitment and fairness for their placements, making the festival an unforgettable and exciting experience.

The overall level of performance improves from year to year, with the performances by the Chinese accordionists in the class of Prof. Cao Xiaoqing from the Central Academy of Music in Beijing naturally standing out.

The best performers in each category competed in the final rounds of two public competition concerts, where the audience also had the opportunity to vote for their favorite of the evening. All winners received cash prizes.

President Andreas Nebl (Germany), Zbigniew Ignaczewski (Poland), Frédéric Deschamps (France), Petr Vacek (Czech Republic), Herbert Scheibenreif (Austria), Zoran Rakić (Serbia), Danijela Gazdić (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Na Song (China, Austria), Cao Xiaoqing (China), and Vladimir Maretschko (Ukraine) formed the international jury.

The evening concerts offered a variety of accordion music with workshop instructors, students from the Hohner Conservatory, and the competition finalists. A jam session allowed musicians of various styles to perform together on stage.

The festival was accompanied by guided tours of the Harmonica Museum and Hohner, as well as a music exhibition.

Conservatory Director Eric Dann and Jury President Andreas Nebl are to be congratulated on the successful organization of Akkordeon Grenzenlos 2025.

Save the Date: Akkordeon Grenzenlos 2026 will take place from April 7th to 11th.

Competition Results.

The first prize winners in each category:

Popular (Junior): Jaroslav Pokuta (Czech Republic)

Popular (Senior): Egle Bartkeviciute (Lithuania)

Classic (Junior): Yuhan Liu (China)

Classic (Senior): Naixin Zhang (China)

Chamber Music: Musica in Fiore (Germany)

World Music: Duo Armin/Hazim (Bosnia and Herzegovina)