Patron, Artistic Committee, Jury

Patron of the competition

The patron of the competition is Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi, who won first prize in Hungarian Television’s inaugural International Conducting Competition and is Hungary’s Ambassador of Culture.

Members of the Artistic Committee

• Csaba Káel, CEO of Müpa Budapest

• Tibor Bogányi, Permanent Guest Conductor of the Pannon Philharmonic

• Domonkos Héja, General Music Director of the Hungarian Radio Art Groups

• György Vashegyi, General Music Director of the Hungarian National Philharmonic

Members of the Jury

Pinchas Steinberg, Chairman of the Jury

Known for his passionate interpretations, Israeli-born conductor Pinchas Steinberg studied violin under Josef Gingold and Jascha Heifetz and composition under Boris Blacher. Since his Berlin debut in 1974, he has conducted the world’s leading orchestras and opera ensembles, working with the London Symphony Orchestra, Vienna State Opera and New York Metropolitan Opera. He has also led the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra and Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. His recordings have won numerous prestigious awards, including the Grand Prix du Disque and Diapason d’Or. In 2023, he conducted Italo Montemezzi’s opera The Love of the Three Kings in a new production at La Scala in Milan. He has appeared at Müpa Budapest with the Budapest Festival Orchestra on several occasions, most recently in 2022, when he conducted Michael Volle’s aria recital.

Roberto Abbado

One of the most renowned Italian interpreters of both the contemporary and bel canto repertoires and a recipient of the Abbiati Prize, Roberto Abbado is currently principal conductor of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna Philharmonic Orchestra. From 2026, he will also hold the position of music director of the Korean National Symphony Orchestra. He studied conducting alongside Franco Ferrara at the Teatro La Fenice in Venice and at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, where he was the first student to conduct the institution’s orchestra. Since his American debut in 1991, he has achieved success with the world’s most prestigious orchestras and opera houses, from the Metropolitan to the Vienna State Opera, and is associated with the premières of numerous contemporary works. His recordings have won several international awards, including the ECHO Klassik. In November 2012, he took to the stage at Müpa Budapest, where he conducted Verdi’s Requiem with Concerto Budapest, leaving a lasting impression on the local audience.

Tibor Bogányi

The Liszt Prize-winning conductor Tibor Bogányi gained international fame for the Pannon Philharmonic as its principal conductor between 2011 and 2023, with performances at venues including the Berlin Philharmonie, Musikverein in Vienna and Zurich’s Tonhalle. Between 2018 and 2024, he was principal conductor of the Finnish Pori Sinfonietta. His name is associated with the Hungarian State Opera’s groundbreaking 3D Carmina Burana production, as well as his latest stage work, Magic of Vivaldi. He has conducted numerous world premières, with a repertoire ranging from the classics to contemporary works. Bogányi has also stood at the helm of renowned ensembles from Europe and Mexico alongside soloists such as Andrei Gavrilov, Barnabás Kelemen and Miklós Perényi. His work is marked by diversity and virtuosity. Since 2013, he has been a regular guest at Müpa Budapest, most recently performing as a cellist during the Bogányi family evening held as part of celebrations to mark the institution’s 20th anniversary.

Mei-Ann Chen

Taiwanese-American conductor Mei-Ann Chen is known for her energetic, passionate style and direct communication, which always combine to bring fresh impetus to her orchestral work. As of 2011, she has been music director of the MacArthur Award-winning Chicago Sinfonietta and has been the principal conductor of the Recreation – Grosses Orchester Graz since 2021, making her the first Asian female conductor to lead an Austrian orchestra. Since 2019, she has been the artistic partner of the Houston-based ROCO (River Oaks Chamber Orchestra), and also served as artistic director of the Taiwan National Symphony Orchestra’s summer festival between 2016 and 2024. As a guest conductor, she has worked with more than 100 orchestras in Europe, America and Asia. She has made two recordings for Cedille Records (Project W – Works by Diverse Women Composers; Delights and Dances), while ROCO’s debut album (Visions Take Flight) was released in 2018 on the Innova Recordings label.

Mikko Franck

The Finnish conductor Mikko Franck began his career at the early age of 17 and has since worked with major orchestras and opera houses around the world. His artistry is characterised by a refined sound and intense expressive power, which is evident in his considerable discography. Franck was music director of the Belgian National Orchestra from 2002 to 2007; general music director and artistic director of the Finnish National Opera between 2006 and 2013; and, most recently, music director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France from 2015 to 2025. Since 2018, he has been a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF France, working in Benin and Senegal and advocating for the protection and wellbeing of children. In December 2023, the President of the Republic of Finland awarded Franck the Pro Finlandia Medal of the Order of the Lion of Finland. The audience at Müpa Budapest first encountered him with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, featuring János Balázs, in 2021. He and the Orchestra returned to the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall in 2024 with Sol Gabetta.

Domonkos Héja

A Liszt and Junior Prima prize-winning conductor, Domonkos Héja has been general music director of the Augsburg State Theatre since 2015, and has held the same position with the Hungarian Radio Art Groups since May 2025. He began his career as founder of the Danubia Orchestra and won first prize at the Hungarian Television International Conducting Competition at a young age. His repertoire is extremely broad, with a notable emphasis on works by Hungarian composers and Shostakovich. He has conducted leading ensembles in Germany, Japan and Taiwan, and has worked with Andrea Rost, José Cura, Steven Isserlis and Martin Grubinger. He also maintains a close relationship with the Hungarian State Opera House, where he has conducted numerous productions. He has been a regular at Müpa Budapest since 2006, conducting memorable performances such as Liszt’s oratorio, The Legend of Saint Elizabeth, as well as the Dvořák, Beethoven and Schubert marathons.

Roberto Paternostro

Vienna-born conductor Roberto Paternostro began his career as a student of Hans Swarowsky, György Ligeti and Christoph von Dohnányi, and later worked as an assistant to Herbert von Karajan in Berlin. He regularly appears in the world’s leading opera houses, from Munich and Venice to Tokyo, achieving success mainly with works of musical theatre by Wagner, Verdi, Puccini and Richard Strauss, but his interpretations of Bruckner and Mahler are also exemplary at the helm of leading orchestras from Germany, Austria, Japan and Israel. He boasts a significant legacy as general music director of the Württemberg Philharmonic and Kassel State Theatre, and later also led the Israel Chamber Orchestra to great acclaim. Among his award-winning recordings is a complete series of Bruckner symphonies, as well as the Ring performed at Teatro Colón. In 2012, he received the ECHO Klassik award. He also regularly serves as a competition judge and conducts master classes. In 2011, he conducted Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 at Müpa Budapest, followed by The Song of the Earth by the same composer in 2022.

Anu Tali

This charismatic, brilliant and energetic Estonian conductor is one of the most exciting and versatile maestros of our time. In 1997, she founded the Nordic Symphony Orchestra with her twin sister, Kadri Tali, at the helm of which she made her debut at Müpa Budapest in 2011. From 2013 to 2019, she served as music director of the Sarasota Orchestra in Florida, and she regularly conducts prestigious ensembles such as the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Orchestre National de France, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. Among her operatic successes are the Berlin production of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville and the Seville performance of Bizet’s Carmen, with which she became the first woman to take the podium at the Teatro de la Maestranza. Her recordings, which include works by her compatriot Erkki-Sven Tüür, have garnered numerous international accolades.

György Vashegyi

The Hungarian conductor György Vashegyi is a pioneer of historical performance in his homeland: as the founder of the Purcell Choir and Orfeo Orchestra, he has been a leading figure in the country’s musical life for more than three decades. He has also garnered international acclaim as an personality who plays a prominent role in the rediscovery of French Baroque and Romantic operas in collaboration with the Centre de Musique Baroque de Versailles and the Palazzetto Bru Zane in Venice. He has recorded more than 70 albums, winning prestigious awards including the Diapason d’Or and ICMA. He has been general music director of the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra since 2022. Under his leadership, the orchestra’s repertoire has been updated to include new works and its carefully structured programming and outstanding musicianship have further reinforced its position in domestic and international musical life. As of 2023, György Vashegyi also serves as artistic director of the Haydneum – Hungarian Centre for Early Music, which carries out invaluable work. He has regularly appeared at Müpa Budapest from its inception, as a returning guest of the Early Music Festival, for instance, enriching the institution’s repertoire with Baroque, Classical and Romantic oratorios and operas. His work has been recognised with the Kossuth Prize and numerous international awards.