Novara - Guido Cantelli International Conducting Award
The “Guido Cantelli” International Conducting Competition returns in 2026 for its 14th edition, in a year of particular significance: this year marks the seventieth anniversary of the death of the great Italian conductor from Novara, Guido Cantelli, to whom the Competition is dedicated – protégé and artistic heir of Arturo Toscanini and still a point of reference for generations of musicians. Applications for the prestigious international competition – which in its earlier years crowned conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Eliahu Inbal, Ádám Fischer and Hubert Soudant - are open from 24 February until 30 April 2026. Conductors of any nationality aged between 18 and 35 may participate. The pre-selection phase will be based on video recordings submitted by the candidates, and the names of competitors admitted to the elimination rounds will be announced on 21 June 2026.
Deadlines
Agenda
From 1 to 4 October, the competition will unfold as follows: from 1 to 3 October, elimination rounds and semifinals will take place in Milan at the Auditorium Fondazione Cariplo; the final will be held on 4 October at the Teatro Coccia and will be a concert open to the public. Competitors will perform all rounds on the podium of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, partner of the Cantelli Competition. Prize money amounts to €12,000 for First Prize, €8,000 for Second Prize, and €5,000 for Third Prize.
Competitors admitted to the elimination rounds will be evaluated by a jury representing seven countries and three continents and affiliated with the world’s most prestigious musical institutions, from Tokyo to Chicago via London. The jury is chaired by Donato Renzetti, winner of the Cantelli Competition in 1980. Alongside him are Roanna Gibson (Head of Concert Programming at the London Philharmonic Orchestra), Didier de Cottignies (Artistic Director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo), Riccardo Frizza (Artistic Consultant of the Cantelli Competition and Chief Conductor of the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra), Patrick Fournillier (Music Director of the Polish National Opera), Cristina Rocca (Vice President of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra), Corrado Rovaris (Music Director of the Opera Philadelphia), and Ryuichiro Sonoda (Artistic Director of the Fujisawa City Opera and Chief Conductor of the Pacific Philharmonia Tokyo).
Discover more on www.premiocantelli.it.
We look forward to discover new young talents of the podium!
Contact
Dott.ssa Corinne Baroni
Fondazione Teatro Carlo Coccia di Novara
Via Fratelli Rosselli 47
28100 Novara
Italy
Min Gyu Song, winner of the 13th edition in 2024 ©Mario Finotti