Fabian Johannes Egger: First Prize Winner of the 2025 KOBE International Flute Competition

Fabian Johannes Egger was born in Bavaria, Germany, in 2007. He began his flute studies at the Mozarteum Pre-College in Salzburg at the age of nine and is currently in his fifth semester of a Bachelor of Music degree with a major in flute at the Munich University of Music and Performing Arts under Prof. Andrea Lieberknecht. He has extensive experience as a soloist with orchestras and in chamber music, and has been a member of various youth orchestras throughout Europe. He is a first-prize winner of numerous international competitions, including the 2024 Aeolus International Wind Competition and, most recently, the 11th International Kobe Flute Competition 2025.

Can you give us 5 career highlights?

2017 (at age 10) Admission to the Mozarteum Salzburg's Gifted Program In the following years, admission to the German Foundation for Music Life, the Liechtenstein Music Academy, the Dortmund Mozart Society, the German Academic Scholarship Foundation, Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now, and the Villa Musica Rhineland-Palatinate (chamber music).

2020 (at age 13) Admission to the class of Prof. Andrea Lieberknecht in Munich.

2024 Represented Germany in the television competition "Eurovision Young Musicians", 3rd place as best wind player.

2024 1st Prize, Audience Award, and Special Prize for the performance of an original composition ("Life is not enough") at the International Aeolus Wind Competition in Düsseldorf.

2025 1st Prize jointly awarded at the 11th International Kobe Flute Competition

Congratulations on winning Kobe 2025! Any (secret) insights on how you prepared for this competition? How much in advance did you start training with the rep?

I don't really have a secret method for preparing for competitions like this... If I do, they'd be so secret that I wouldn't even know them. However, I can say that I prepare for a competition exactly the same way I prepare for a concert. There's no difference for me! What is different, of course, is that you're exposed to far greater pressure, which you should avoid at all costs, or rather, not think about too much. Ambition that affects your own playing does not lead to success and harms the music and therefore also your performance in a competition.

Well, basically, you spend your whole life preparing for such situations in your musical career. As for the pieces, I didn't have quite as much time, as I had a lot of other things to do last year. In 2024 I won the first prize at the International Aeolus Wind Competition (also a member of the World Federation of Music Competitions, like Kobe) and had a lot to play since then. And then there were my studies at the Munich Hochschule for Music, where I had to absolve many exams this year. To be honest, I was even a little worried about bringing the program up to the level required by this enormous competition. But in the end it worked out well.

In your opinion, what are your Super Powers that helped you win this competition?

I certainly don't possess any superpowers. My superpower comes from the world that surrounds me: My family, especially my parents, my teacher, and many others who give me understanding and support. I value that very much and it is perhaps the most important thing on the path to becoming a musician.  I don't think that discipline, hard work and perseverance are really special skills, but rather a necessity for a comfortable life.

What do you like best about teaching?

Since I am still very young and have only given lessons on very rare occasions, I can only say very little about this question, especially since I am still a student myself.
What's certainly fantastic as a teacher is seeing how your students develop, not just in terms of playing but also in terms of personality. Contributing to this, helping someone on their own path, talking to them about music, and learning from it yourself, is one of the most beautiful things that leads to an incredibly strong connection, both as a facilitator and as a role model.

What do you like best about performing?

I like best about performing is to have the feeling of creating another strange, much more beautiful world, from which it is very difficult to get out and actually do not want to. Creating feelings of fascination for the music, to serve the music, to be humble towards it and to know that the audience hears and experiences for this reason is the best thing about a performance.

What does your schedule look like for the next 6 months?  

My calendar is filled with wonderful experiences on stage. Some solo-concerts with different orchestras, and chamber music which I am very much looking forward to. Continuing my studies in Munich.

What are your goals personally?  Professionally?

For me there are no professional goals that are not also my personal goals. Generally, I always find it very difficult to talk about my goals after successes, but of course the goal remains to reach people as a musician, to improve myself both as a person and as a flutist.  What I can't imagine in the long run, however, is just being a flautist. Personally, I would like to contribute more to music, not just as a performer. For example, I would really enjoy composing on a professional level. I believe I know that I will need a lot of time for such "activities" and that I will have to learn a lot, which is why my goals are primarily planned with a long-term view. In the future, however, I would like to play more chamber/orchestral music.

What inspires you the most in life?

Everything that surrounds me, everything I experience and everything I learn from every single situation in life.The questions I'm answering right now also contribute to this; no matter what you do, no matter how, it's inspiring.

What has been your greatest challenge?

To acknowledge my failures, learn from them and move on.

Who were your music mentors?  and what did you learn from them?

My mentors are all those who believe in my abilities, support me, and never lose hope in any situation. I don't even want to think about mentioning them all, although of course some have had a greater influence on me than others. However, I would like to mention one person and that is my current teacher, Andrea Lieberknecht; she was life-changing for me.

Can you give us 5 quirky, secret, fun, (don't think too much about this) hobbies or passions?  

Two things should be sufficient: Lots of food and lots of sleep. :))

What 3 things would you offer as advice for a young flutist?

Oh, there are many things you should advise a young musician (including myself): First: don't think too much about whether this was really the right decision - trust me, it was certainly the right decision. Secondly, don't think too much about your career and don't put too much pressure on yourself, never do it to promote yourself.
Third, never lose your personal love for music (probably the most important thing).