The 14th edition will take place the next year, from October 1 to 4, marking the 70th anniversary of the great Italian conductor’s passing

Back for its 14th edition, the “Guido Cantelli” International Conducting Award will take place from 1 to 4 October 2026, a significant year marking seventy years since the untimely death of the extraordinary Italian conductor to whom the competition is dedicated. Based in Novara, this prestigious prize is open to exceptional young conductors aged 18 to 35 from all over the world. Revived in 2020, the award was originally held from 1961 to 1980, launching the careers of conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Eliahu Inbal, Ádám Fischer, Hubert Soudant and Donato Renzetti. The 14th edition will follow this schedule: preliminary rounds will be held from October 1 to 3, 2026, at the Auditorium Fondazione Cariplo in Milan, while the final will take place on October 4, 2026, at the Teatro Coccia in Novara. Candidates will take the podium to conduct the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano, partner of the Award.

From Chicago to Tokyo, via London: seven nations and three continents are represented in the new jury of the 14th edition of the Cantelli Award, which brings together distinguished artistic and cultural figures  from some of the most prestigious music institutions in the world. Jury President will be Donato Renzetti, winner of the Cantelli Award in 1980 and also jury chair in the 2020 edition. Joining him are Roanna Gibson (Concerts Director at the London Philharmonic Orchestra), Didier de Cottignies (Artistic Manager of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo), Riccardo Frizza (Artistic Advisor of the Cantelli Award and Principal Conductor of the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra), Patrick Fournillier (Music Director of Opera Poznań), Cristina Rocca (Vice President for artistic planning of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra), Corrado Rovaris (Music Director of Opera Philadelphia), and Ryuichiro Sonoda (Artistic Director of Fujisawa City Opera and Principal Conductor of Pacific Philharmonia Tokyo).

Recognized by Arturo Toscanini as his most authentic heir, Guido Cantelli was already considered one of the most important conductors of the mid-20th century when he died in a plane crash in 1956, barely past the age of 36. Only days before his death, at the height of his international success, he had been named Principal Conductor of the Orchestra of La Scala. The award in his name was established in 1961 and promoted by the Provincial Tourist Board of Novara, his birthplace. After a forty-year hiatus, was relaunched in 2020 from the Teatro Coccia in Novara thanks to the commitment of Director Corinne Baroni, with the goal of restoring its original mission: to be an international stage and a true launching platform for young conducting talents.

Since its revival in 2020, the Cantelli Award has seen steadily increasing participation: over 240 applications were received for the 13th edition in 2024. The podium has hosted some of the most promising young conductors on the international scene, including Tianyi Lu – the first woman to win in the competition’s history (2020)-, Min Gyu Song (2024), Dmitry Matvienko, Diego Ceretta, Bertie Baigent, Cristian Spătaru, Toby Thatcher, and Aram Khacheh.

Confirming its growing prestige, the Cantelli Award officially joins, from this year, the “World Federation of International Music Competitions”, the global network of internationally recognized organisations dedicated to identifying the most promising young talents in music.

All details regarding the participation procedures for the 14th edition will be announced in the autumn months.

Photo credits: Min Gyu Song, winner of the 13th edition (2024) © Mario Finotti