Budapest, Pécs to host Sir Georg Solti international conducting competition

Budapest, March 28 (MTI) – Budapest and Pécs, in southern Hungary, will host an international conducting competition named after the legendary conductor Sir Georg Solti between October and December this year, state secretary for culture Péter Hoppál said on Tuesday.

Applications for the competition organised by Filharmónia Magyarország are open until May 1 for conductors born after January 1, 1979, he told a press conference.

The government is providing 160 million forints (EUR 520,000) for the competition, which has already generated great interest beyond all expectations, he added.

Participants will conduct various Hungarian symphony orchestras, and the events will take place in Erkel Theatre in Budapest and at the Kodály Centre of Pécs. All nine rounds of the competition will be televised. The first, second and third prize winners will be awarded 20,000, 10,000 and 5,000 euros respectively, Hoppál said.

The government supports the Bartok memorial year with 1.4 billion forints (EUR 3.36m), Hoppál noted. A total of nearly 4 billion forints (EUR 12.9m) is invested in classical concert life in Budapest, he said, noting that the Central Statistical Office (KSH) has indicated a 30 percent increase in ticket sales for classical concerts from 2010 to 2016.

The chief patroness of the event is Lady Valerie Solti, widow of Sir Georg Solti.

Read more details on solticompetition.com

Source: MTI/solticompetition.com