Timeline of the competition
The Organisers will be accepting entries online between 1 December 2025 (Monday) at 00:00 CET until 20 March 2026 (Friday) at 23:59 CET.
Applying for the competition is available on the Solti International Conducting Competition application site via the button below.
The most important dates and events associated with the competition
The period during which entries will be accepted:
1 December 2025, 00:00 CET – 20 March 2026, 23:59 CET
Pre-selection
Pre-selection is based on video recordings submitted by the applicants, with the aim of allowing the preliminary jury to select those candidates who meet the requirements necessary to participate in the public stages of the competition. During pre-selection, the preliminary jury will select 24 applicants for the first public round.
The period of pre-selection: 21 March 2026 – 14 June 2026
Public rounds
The competitors can measure their skills against one another in the public rounds of the preliminary, semifinal and final.
The preliminary round will take place in Pécs, in the Kodály Center 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 5-6 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: the collaborating orchestra will on this occasion be the Hungarian National Philharmonic.
Find further details in the competition announcement.
