Maestro Solti international conducting competition gets under way

An international conducting competition named after the legendary Hungarian-born conductor Sir Georg Solti will open with a concert in the Budapest Erkel Theatre on Tuesday evening.

The first round of the Maestro Solti competition will be held on Wednesday and Thursday, to be followed by nine further rounds organised in the Erkel Theatre and the Kodály Centre of Pécs.

The aim of the competition is to offer young talents born after January 1, 1979 an opportunity to prove their skills at an international event. Out of a total of 186 entries submitted from 40 countries, 40 competitors have made it to the first round.

Participants will conduct overtures, symphony and opera extracts and symphonic poems.

The final will be held on Dec. 15 in the Kodály Centre, to be followed by an event closing gala concert in the centre the following day.

The winner will receive a cash prize of 20,000 euros, the second 10,000 euros and the third 5,000 euros.

The entire competition will be broadcast by cultural channel M5.

The competition’s chief patron is President János Áder.

Photo: solticompetition.com/en/

Source: MTI