New euro banknotes: Maria Callas on the €5 note and Beethoven on the €10 note, classical music in the spotlight in Europe

The next euro banknotes will be dedicated to two themes: « culture européenne » et “Rivers and birds”. Two tickets will display portraits of great classical music personalities, Maria Callas and Ludwig van Beethoven.

It was in 2002 that the first series of euro banknotes was put into circulation, the theme of which was devoted to “Periods and styles” displaying inspired representations, according to the European Central Bank, “architectural styles from various periods of European history” (porches, arcades, bridges…).

Twenty years later, a consultation was launched for the creation of a new series of banknotes. Following a public inquiry submitted to the general public, the Board of Governors selected two themes for future tickets in 2024: « culture européenne » et “Rivers and birds”.

In the series « culture européenne » we will find representations of the Franco-Polish scientist Marie Curie (20 euros), the Spanish playwright Miguel de Cervantes (50 €), the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci (100 €), the Austrian pacifist Bertha von Suttner (200 €) but above all, for music and the performing arts, the great Greek soprano Maria Callas whose portrait will appear on the 5 euro banknotes and Ludwig van Beethoven on the 10 euro banknote.

Berlioz and Debussy on 10 and 20 franc notes

According to the timetable established by the ECB, following the competition launched in July 2025, a selection of graphic designers have submitted proposals which will be examined by the end of the summer. At the end of this phase, the jury will select ten graphic design projects (five per theme) which will be submitted, online, to European citizens who will be able to give their opinion. The Board of Governors will make a final decision regarding the graphics at the end of this year. We do not yet know the date of issue of these new banknotes but the 2030 deadline seems the most likely.

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Maria Callas and Ludwig van Beethoven are not the first classical music personalities to appear on banknotes. Thus in France, before the introduction of euros, the portrait of Hector Berlioz was displayed on 10 franc notes and that of Claude Debussy on 20 franc notes.

 

In Europe, other countries have also paid tribute in the past to great names in classical music. In Austria to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (500 schilling note), in Germany to Clara Schumann and Johann Sebastian Bach (100 deutsche mark), in Italy to Giuseppe Verdi (1000 lire) in Poland to Frédéric Chopin (5000 zlotys), in Hungary to Franz Liszt (1000 forints), in Sweden to soprano Jenny Lind (50 crowns), in Norway to Edvard Krieg (100 crowns) and in Armenia to Aram Khachaturian (50 drams)

Philippe Gault