Blakeman Gerber Indianapolis International Baroque Competition
Sunday, July 12, 2026

A collaboration of Indianapolis Early Music and the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, the Blakeman Gerber Indianapolis International Baroque Competition is open to solo string, wind, and harpsichord instrumentalists. The finalists perform in the final round on July 12, 2026, in Indianapolis, as the concluding concert of the 60th Indianapolis Early Music Festival. Each finalist leads the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra in a Baroque solo concerto.

Prizes include the $15,000 Devona and Amos Gerber Prize, along with additional cash awards. All finalists are recognized as laureates, receiving medals, with additional awards presented to all except the first prize winner.

“Showcasing the talents of young artists has long been a priority for Indianapolis Early Music. We partner with Early Music America to present that organizations’s “emerging artists” each year and I am always on the lookout for exciting young performers.  But’s it’s the BGIIBC which truly is the “icing on the cake” as it were where we can present the finest young early musicians from around the globe. The concert setting of the final round of the Competition shows our audience that the future of early music is indeed in good hands!”

- Mark Cudek, Artistic Director, IEM

This Year’s laureates

Peter Lim, Recorder | Pablo O’Connell, Oboe | Cordelia Mutter, Cello | Kaya Gür, Violin | Josh Liu, Violin

The Presenters

Indianapolis Early Music is in its 60th season and is the oldest continuously offered Early Music concert series in the nation. Led by Artistic Director Mark Cudek, IEM features late spring and early summer weekend performances by internationally acclaimed Early Music artists. IEM is also committed to enriching children’s lives through educational programming in local schools.

The Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra is a multi-CD Naxos recording ensemble and was named one of the top 25 ensembles by Early Music America in 2011. Under the direction of its Artistic Director Barthold Kuijken, the IBO is dedicated to excellent and exuberant performance of 17th and 18th-century music on period instruments and performs a full concert season.

Both organizations are dedicated to sharing the enjoyment of Early Music with diverse audiences of all ages.