CANTELLI INTERNATIONAL CONDUCTING COMPETITION

The XIV edition takes place on the 70th anniversary of the death of Guido Cantelli.

DATES

Preliminary and Semifinal Rounds: October 1–3, 2026, Auditorium Fondazione Cariplo, Milan
Final: October 4, 2026, Teatro Coccia, Novara

Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano

WINNERS OF THE 14TH EDITION

First Prize - Feifan Jiang
Second Prize - Yuta Kobayashi
Third Prize - Mauro Mariani

Critics’ Jury Prize - Feifan Jiang
Agencies Jury Prize – Management - Feifan Jiang
Youth Jury Prize – Empathy - Feifan Jiang
Friends of Teatro Coccia Jury Prize - Feifan Jiang
City Jury Prize - Mauro Mariani
Milan Symphony Orchestra Prize - Feifan Jiang

THE 4 FINALISTS FOR SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4

Giovanni Fanizza
(30 years old, Italy)

Feifan Jiang
(25 years old, China)

Yuta Kobayashi
(29 years old, Japan)

Mauro Mariani
(33 years old, Italy)

THE 8 SEMIFINALISTS FOR FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2

Giovanni Fanizza
(30 years old, Italy)

Rémi Geniet
(34 years old, France)

Feifan Jiang
(25 years old, China)

Yuta Kobayashi
(29 years old, Japan)

Alexander Mackinder
(30 years old, United Kingdom)

Mauro Mariani
(33 years old, Italy)

Arseniy Shkaptsov
(33 years old, Switzerland)

Ondřej Soukup
(31 years old, Czech Republic)

LIST OF THE 19 CANDIDATES ADMITTED TO THE ELIMINATION ROUNDS

Nicolò Azzena
(33 years old, Italy)

Maria Bazou
(27 years old, Greece)

Sieva Borzak
(29 years old, Italy)

Jooyoung Florian Chang
(29 years old, Austria)

Etienne Ferrer
(33 years old, France)

Giovanni Fanizza
(30 years old, Italy)

Rémi Geniet
(34 years old, France)

Guro Haugli
(32 years old, Norway)

Feifan Jiang
(25 years old, China)

Daniel Seonggeun Kim
(30 years old, Germany)

Henry Kennedy
(30 years old, United Kingdom)

Yuta Kobayashi
(29 years old, Japan)

Dongjun Lee
(29 years old, South Korea)

Mauro Mariani
(33 years old, Italy)

Alfonso Piacentini
(31 years old, Puerto Rico)

Ondřej Soukup
(31 years old, Czech Republic)

Arseniy Shkaptsov
(33 years old, Switzerland)

Marco Orazio Vallone
(24 years old, Italy)

Alexander Mackinder
(30 anyears old, United Kingdom)

WINNER OF THE 2026 CALL FOR COMPOSERS

4 città invisibili, by Andrei Octavian Popescu

Honourable Mention for Thor Lafuente Pacsi, composer of the piece
A Small Symphony In 3 Movements

MAIN JURY

President
Donato RENZETTI
Director
Winner of Premio Cantelli - X edition (1980)

Didier DE COTTIGNIES
Artistic Director of the Orchestre National de France,
Orchestre de Paris, and Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo (2002–2026)

Patrick FOURNILLIER
Music Director of the Polish National Opera, Teatr Wielki

Riccardo FRIZZA
Artistic Advisor, Cantelli Award
Principal Conductor, Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra
Honorary Director of the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir

Roanna GIBSON
Concerts & Planning Director, London Philharmonic Orchestra

Cristina ROCCA
Vice President, Artistic Planning, Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association

Corrado ROVARIS
Music Director, Opera Philadelphia

Ryuichiro SONODA
Artistic Director, Fujisawa City Opera
Principal Conductor, Pacific Philharmonia Tokyo

TRIAL MUSICAL PROGRAM

PRELIMINARY ROUND

Gioachino Rossini, Overture from La Cenerentola
[critical edition Ricordi]
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Overture from Die Zauberflöte, K. 620
[Bärenreiter edition]
Ludwig van Beethoven, Overture Fidelio, Op. 72
[Breitkopf edition]
Franz Schubert, Symphony No. 4 in C minor, D. 417 “Tragic”
[Breitkopf edition]
 

SEMI-FINAL

Andrei Popescu, 4 città invisibili
[Sconfinarte edition]
Béla Bartók, Concerto for Orchestra, Sz. 116
[Boosey & Hawkes edition]
Igor Stravinsky, The Firebird (1919 Suite)
[Schott edition]
 

FINAL

Vincenzo Bellini, Overture from Norma
[Luck’s reprint of Ricordi edition]
Andrei Popescu, 4 città invisibili
[Sconfinarte edition]
Richard Strauss, Don Juan, Op. 20
[Kalmus edition; reprint of Peters materials]
Antonín Dvořák, Symphony No. 9 in E minor “From the New World”, Op. 95
[Breitkopf edition]

CONTACTS

segreteria@premiocantelli.it