Announcing the Winners of the YAMawards 2026!
Updated: Oct 2
The 17th edition of the YAMawards took place last night in Helsingør, Denmark, once again crowning the very best live music productions for young audiences.
YAM (Young Audiences Music) is JM International’s global programme committed to delivering outstanding live music experiences to children and young people, presenting more than 30,000 concerts each year across its network. Since 2008, the YAMawards have celebrated and sought out the finest music productions for young audiences worldwide.
Yesterday's award ceremony was truly an unforgettable event, filled with magic, emotions, and joy. The level of music, depth of storytelling, and passion inherent to each nominee is a testament to what it takes to engage and inspire young minds.
INTRODUCING THE 2026 WINNERS!
It’s time to meet the best live music productions for young audiences in 2026. These productions have been chosen from over 70 phenomenal submissions from 17+ countries.
The YAMawards winners of 2026 are…
Category: Best Small Ensemble
Production: Grand Hotel Federspiel
Producer: Philharmonie Luxembourg, Wiener Konzerthaus & Brucknerhaus Linz
Country: Austria
Grand Hotel Federspiel is a joyful production, with excellent musicianship and a strong sense of humour that easily connects with young audiences. The brass ensamble brings a unique and rarely highlighted sound for children and young people, showing how exciting, playful and expressive this group of instruments can be. The nonverbal format makes the performance open and accessible to everyone, while the combination of music, storytelling and playful stage action creates an imaginative and engaging experience full of warmth, energy and personality.
Category: Best Large Ensemble
Production: Masters of Ceremony
Producer: HipHop Academy Hamburg & Ensemble Resonanz - Elbphilharmonie Hamburg
Country: Germany
A bold, exceptionally accomplished and ambitious production that speaks powerfully to teenage audiences. The fusion of hip-hop and classical music feels fresh and meaningful, and very organic! It stands out for its extraordinary artistic quality across music, but also choreography and staging. It's addressing themes of identity, uncertainty and leadership in a way that feels relevant and authentic. It is a highly professional and compelling work that succeeds in connecting different artistic languages into one cohesive stage experience.
Category: Best Opera (Powered by RESEO)
Production: Bohemios
Producer: Teatro de la Zarzuela
Country: Spain
Can opera repertoire still be relevant today? Teatro de la Zarzuela’s answer with Bohemios is a resounding yes! This new production reimagines the zarzuela by 19th-century composer Amadeo Vives through the eyes and voices of a new generation, preserving the original score while transforming the narrative to resonate with today’s social realities. Set in contemporary Madrid, it follows young artists facing precarious work, housing insecurity and uncertain futures. The production brings together sixteen young singers and actors aged 18 to 30 with musicians from the Joven Orquesta Nacional de España. The stage becomes a space where theatre, music and cinema meet, and where art becomes a form of resistance and collective imagination. At its heart is the transmission of a rich Spanish musical heritage through contemporary artistic languages. By placing young people at the centre of both the story and the performance, Bohemios makes zarzuela a living, relevant and shared art form. Bohemios is part of Proyecto Zarza, Teatro de la Zarzuela’s pioneering initiative dedicated to bringing lyric theatre to new generations.
Category: Best Participatory Project
Production: Uprising
Producer: Glyndebourne & Saffron Hall
Country: United Kingdom
Can one person make a difference? In the face of the climate crisis, Uprising explores the power of youth climate activism. A powerful community opera by Jonathan Dove and April De Angelis, commissioned by Glyndebourne, this participatory project stands out by uniting over 100 local amateur singers, the Glyndebourne Youth Opera, and professional soloists on a world-class stage. This unique multigenerational collaboration, praised by The Times as “a restorative dose of youthful idealism,” empowers young people to express real-world anxieties through high-caliber art. The production seamlessly blends a professional orchestra with youth percussionists to bridge the gap between community engagement and elite musical standards. Ultimately, it transforms a local environmental narrative into an inspiring and uplifting performance, creative and full of energy.
Category: Ebbe Høyrup Best School Concert
Production: Gangar
Producer: Ragnhild Tveitan
Country: Norway
The winner of this year’s Ebbe Høyrup Award for Best School Concert 2026 is the Norwegian 5-piece band GANGAR – a very exciting band that has created their own original sound by combining the very best musical elements from Nordic Folkmusic with hard rock, metal and even a dash of jazz – all music styles from opposite corners of the music spectrum. This unique mix, paired with extremely strong musicianship, has resulted in a bold and energetic concert experience that will impress you on every level. GANGAR is a musical force of nature, ready to hit a school near you with their high-voltage folk-mix – so brace yourselves, folks! You're in for a treat!
Category: The Public Choice Award
Production: Lene fliegt ins Zirkusland
Composer: Philharmonie Luxembourg
Country: Luxembourg
The Public Choice Award is the only YAMaward decided entirely by the fans, and this year, the competition was a close one with over 1500 votes in total. But only one production rose to the top with over 300 votes! For that we congratulate Lene fliegt ins Zirkusland from Luxembourg, who won the audience over with its exceptional performance, earning its well-deserved recognition! Produced by Philharmonie Luxembourg, the production brings opera and circus together in a colourful story about courage, creativity and standing up against oppression.
Category: YAM Crew Special Award
Production: Gangar
Producer: Ragnhild Tveitan
Country: Norway
For the first time, the YAM Crew presented their very own special award at the YAMawards! Bringing together 14 young people from 7 countries, the international YAM Crew spent three days at YAMsession exchanging ideas, sharing experiences and discussing this year’s nominees. After carefully considering all the nominated productions, they selected Gangar as the recipient of the YAM Crew Special Award. Congratulations to Gangar on this special recognition from the next generation of young audience professionals!
RELIVE THE CEREMONY!
For those who couldn’t attend in person, you can relive the YAMawards experience through the official YouTube livestream by clicking here.
STAY IN TOUCH
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Website: www.yamawards.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/youngaudiencesmusic
Instagram: @youngaudiencesmusic
For further inquiries, you can reach us at info@yamawards.org.
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