WMC opens registration for anniversary edition 2026

March 28, 2025 - Next July, the 20th edition of the World Music Contest (WMC) will take place. Starting April 1, bands and ensembles from around the world can sign up for the upcoming WMC. The organization expects to welcome more than 300 participants to the hub for wind music, Kerkrade—significantly more than in the previous edition.

Next July, the 20th edition of the World Music Contest (WMC) will take place. A key milestone in the run-up to the festival is the opening of registrations. Starting April 1, bands and ensembles from around the world can sign up for the upcoming WMC. The organization expects to welcome more than 300 participants to the hub for wind music, Kerkrade—significantly more than in the previous edition.

Test pieces
As is tradition, WMC will also announce the test pieces for each division at the start of the registration period. A selection committee from the RIC (Repertoire Information Center), at the request of the WMC organization, has chosen twelve compositions to serve as the test pieces for the upcoming edition. This time, the focus is on new works.

"Ten of the twelve pieces were written in the past three years," says Björn Bus, Artistic Manager of WMC. "This is a deliberate choice. WMC considers it part of its mission to promote new repertoire. By selecting new compositions as test pieces, we aim to give them a boost."

Two of the test pieces were commissioned by WMC. "We asked Kevin Houben to compose a challenging piece for the First Division Fanfare," Bus explains. British composer Liz Lane has written the piece for the Youth Division in the brass band contest. "She is a highly creative composer who writes extensively for youth ensembles. That’s why we asked her to compose the piece for this new division."

However, not all pieces on the list are new compositions. Epiphany by Henk Badings will be the test piece for the Second Division Wind Band. The original version premiered in 1981, performed by wind band St. Michaël Thorn. WMC has now commissioned a new arrangement of the work.

"Henk Badings is one of the great composers in the wind music world," Bus states. "Moreover, he has a strong connection to our festival. After all, the official WMC tune was written by him. By reviving this piece, we are honouring our past during this 20th edition."

Contest Regulations
WMC has also published the regulations for the upcoming festival edition. Earlier, the organization announced several changes to the contest structure compared to WMC 2022. In the Concert Division, for example, the requirement to include non-musical elements in the program has been removed, and participants are no longer required to submit an artistic portfolio in advance. However, competitors in this highest division must still include a work featuring a soloist in their program.

The top divisions of the Marching and Show Contests will once again follow the prelims-finals structure, just as in 2022. The prelims will take place on the Friday of the second WMC weekend, with the finals following on Sunday.

Additionally, WMC has expanded opportunities for youth bands in 2026. Following discussions with the international wind music community, the contests for wind bands and brass bands will now include a dedicated Youth Division.

Enthusiasm
According to Bus, enthusiasm among bands and ensembles for WMC 2026 is high within the international wind music world. "We are heading for a very busy WMC," he says. "Bands and ensembles are eager to participate. At this moment, I’m receiving applications from all over the world—from Asia to North America. I expect more than 300 registrations, which is significantly more than in 2022."

Key Information
Starting April 1, band and ensemble representatives can register their participation via the “My WMC platform” (an online portal at wmc.nl). The registration deadline is November 1. After that, WMC will inform participants as soon as possible whether they have been admitted to the contest. All contest regulations and the list of test pieces for the upcoming edition are now available at wmc.nl.