A First UK Edition with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Four conductors advanced to Sunday’s Final, each taking to the podium with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra: Rui Miguel Marques, Mikhail Mering, Michal Oren and Chunyi Zhao. All four conducted the Largo from Evgeny Svetlanov’s Symphony and Il Re D’Ithaca by Antonino Abate, a new work commissioned especially for the Competition. Each finalist also conducted a major symphonic work chosen by the jury from three works submitted in advance.
Nearly 380 conductors from 54 countries applied for this year’s Competition. Eighteen candidates representing 15 nationalities were selected to compete in Birmingham. The 2026 edition marked the Competition’s first appearance in the UK, in partnership with the CBSO. The semi-final and final were broadcast live on Medici.tv and remain available to watch on demand.
The international jury was chaired by Bertrand de Billy and included Mauro Bucarelli, Christoph Ghristi, Sascha Goetzel, Paul Hughes, Ion Marin, Matthias Naske, Deborah Polaski and Kazuki Yamada. The Competition is led by Artistic Director René Koering and Founder and President Marina Bower.
"This competition and its concept is very unique. Everybody is very happy to meet the fantastic talents of the 18 candidates. This competition bears the name of Svetlanov, which means that the most important thing is to respect Svetlanov's philosophy. He was a kind of magician. He could use magic so that many miracles happened, this is why the competition is waiting for such a charismatic person. We are happy to have found Michal Oren in keeping with this philosophy. Oren had something special from the beginning of this competition. If Maestro Svetlanov were still alive, I'm very sure that he would have chosen her, too."
Kazuki Yamada, Music Director of the CBSO and member of the Jury
"This competition has been an exceptional musical and human experience. As President of the Jury, I am delighted that we have awarded the First Prize unanimously, as well as other prizes to highly talented conductors. I wish them all every success in finding their own path and continuing to develop artistically."
Bertrand de Billy, President of the Jury
Prizes
The First Prize is endowed with €20,000, with €10,000 awarded for the Second Prize and €5,000 for the Third Prize. The orchestra prize winner will be invited to perform with the CBSO in the 2027/2028 season.
About the Evgeny Svetlanov International Conducting Competition
Founded in 2007, the Evgeny Svetlanov International Conducting Competition identifies and supports outstanding conductors at the beginning of their international careers. The Competition moves to a different international location for each edition, with previous editions held in Luxembourg, Montpellier, Paris and Monte-Carlo. More than 80 per cent of its past participants have gone on to develop international conducting careers.
The Competition was established by Marina Bower and Nina Svetlanova in keeping with Evgeny Svetlanov’s wish to pass on his musical knowledge and artistic legacy to future generations.
