The “Guido Cantelli” International Conducting Competition is set to celebrate its 14th edition, in a year of particular significance as this year marks the seventieth anniversary of the death of the famed conductor from Novara.

Applications for the international competition opened on Feb. 24 and will remain available until April 30. Conductors of any nationality aged between 18 and 35 may participate and a 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 June 21, 2026.

From Oct. 1 to 3, elimination rounds and semifinals will take place in Milan at the Auditorium Fondazione Cariplo with the final set to be held on Oct 4 at the Teatro Coccia. The final will be a concert open to the public.

Competitors will perform with 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.

“The Cantelli Competition is not only a competition; it is an act of confidence in the future. On the seventieth anniversary of Guido Cantelli’s passing, we feel even more strongly the responsibility to preserve his legacy as a living energy, not a static memory. Celebrating this anniversary means continuing to believe in young conductors, guiding them through a serious and demanding path capable of uniting technique, vision, and artistic responsibility,” Corinne Baroni, Director of the Teatro Coccia and Artistic Director of the Premio Cantelli said, per an official press release. “Today, this is the most authentic way to honor Cantelli: investing in talent and giving music a future.”

This year’s jury is chaired by Donato Renzetti, winner of the Cantelli Competition in 1980 and former jury president in 2020. 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 Teatr Wielki), 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).

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