Solti International Conducting Competition
From 1 to 10 October 2026, the Solti International Conducting Competition offers the opportunity for conductors aged 18-35 from all over the world to prove themselves in front of the most renowned representatives of their profession.
Deadline: 20 March 2026 23:59 CET
In autumn 2026, the Solti International Conducting Competition will take place thanks to the collaboration between Müpa Budapest and Hungarian public media.
The competition is named after Sir Georg Solti, one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century, and the mission of the competition is to ensure that future conductors are not only excellent musicians but also influential leaders of their ensembles and genuine cultural ambassadors.
After a preliminary selection round, the selected competitors will be evaluated in three rounds before a prestigious international Jury in the three concert halls with the best acoustics in Hungary: the Concert Hall of the Kodály Centre in Pécs, the Grand Hall of the Liszt Academy, and the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall at Müpa Budapest. The competitors will work with three internationally renowned symphony orchestras: the Pannon Philharmonic from Pécs, the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra.
Application Criteria
Applicants must be aged between 18 and 35, i.e. born between 11 October 1991 and 30 September 2008. There are no restrictions on nationality.
Timeline
Deadline: 20 March 2026 23:59 CET, submissions via the application form.
Pre-selection:
21 March - 14 June 2026. Pre-selection is based on video recordings submitted by the applicants. During pre-selection, the preliminary jury will select 24 applicants and an additional 5 candidates on the waiting list for the first public round. Succesful candidated will be contacted by 15 June 2026.
Public rounds
The competitors can measure their skills against one another in the public rounds of the preliminary, semi-final and final.
- The preliminary round will take place in Pécs, in the Kodály Centre Concert Hall, with the participation of the Pannon Philharmonic, from 1 to 4 October 2026. The 24 competitors must conduct two pieces, excerpts from works by Igor Stravinsky, Ernő Dohnányi, Zoltán Kodály, and Béla Bartók. Which piece each conductor will lead is determined at random before the performance.
- The semi-final will be held on 5 and 6 October 2026, in Budapest, in the Grand Hall of the Liszt Academy, with the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra as the collaborating ensemble. Ten competitors will advance to this stage of the competition, where their task is to conduct three works or excerpts in the following order: a Mozart aria, a Puccini aria, and a contemporary piece. The works to be conducted are also decided at random in this case.
- The final will be held in the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall at Müpa Budapest as part of the Liszt Fest International Cultural Festival on 9 October 2026. The four competitors who reach the final must each conduct two works, with the assignments determined once again at random. The repertoire for this round includes works by Verdi, Mussorgsky, Dukas and Johann Strauss, as well as pieces by four Hungarian composers: Liszt, Dohnányi, Kodály, and Bartók.
- The awards gala will take place on 10 October 2026 as part of the Liszt Fest International Cultural Festival at the Béla Bartók International Concert Hall at Müpa Budapest: on this occasion, the collaborating orchestra will be the Hungarian National Philharmonic.
Prizes
The following prizes are to be awarded by the Jury:
- First Prize: €20.000
- Second Prize: €12.000
- Third Prize: €8.000
- Audience Prize: €3.000
- Other prizes: Invitations and opportunities to perform in concert from the heads of organisations and institutions, orchestra leaders, festival directors and managers invited to the competition.
More information on the application procedure, the competition tasks, jury, detailed timeline and criteria: