The competition is designed for conductors aged 35 or below, who want to establish networks in Asia and beyond. It features an international jury made up of conductors and professionals in the music business today.
All applications will go through the Preliminary Selection stage, after which a maximum of 16 Candidates will be invited to travel to Hong Kong. They will attend a briefing session first, before conducting Hong Kong Sinfonietta in three rounds of competition. A maximum of 8 Candidates will advance to the Semi-Finals, and a maximum of 3 Candidates will advance to the Finals. Networking activities for all Candidates and the Jury will take place after the Finals. All rounds of the Competition are open to the public, ticket details will be announced at a later time.
Hotel accommodation will be provided during the period of the Competition from 25 January to 2 February 2027. Candidates will be responsible for their own travel arrangements and expenses.
Round 1 (a maximum of 16 Candidates): 27 January 2027 (Wed)
- Stravinsky — Concerto in E-flat, “Dumbarton Oaks”
- One of the following works, determined by a draw:
- Mozart — Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), K620: Overture
- Rossini — La Scala di Seta (The Silken Staircase): Overture
Round 2 – Semi-Finals (a maximum of 8 Semi-Finalists)
Day 1 – 28 January 2027 (Thu)
One of the following works, determined by a draw:
- Brahms — Symphony No 2 in D, Op 73
- Mendelssohn — Symphony No 3 in A minor, Op 56, “Scottish”
- Schumann — Symphony No 3 in E-flat, Op 97, “Rhenish”
Day 2 – 29 January 2027 (Fri)
- Schumann — Piano Concerto in A minor, Op 54: 3rd movement (Piano: Rachel Cheung)
Round 3 – Finals (a maximum of 3 Finalists): 31 January 2027 (Sun)
- Daniel Lo Ting-cheung — Endless Rhythm (world première, commissioned by Hong Kong Sinfonietta)
- Beethoven — Fidelio Overture, Op 72c
- One of the following works, chosen by the candidate:
- Bartók — Dance Suite
- Richard Strauss — Tod und Verklärung (Death and Transfiguration), Op 24
- Stravinsky — The Firebird Suite (1919)
- The finalists will also be invited to make a short presentation to the audience
| Sections | Conductor |
| Deadline | 14 May - 17 Jun 2026 |
| Finals | 27 - 31 Jan 2027 |
| Where | Hong Kong, China |
| Age groups | Conductors of any nationality born in or after 1991 |
1st Prize:
- HK$200,000
- Concert engagement with Hong Kong Sinfonietta
- Mentorship with conductor(s) from the Jury
2nd Prize:
- HK$100,000
3rd Prize:
- HK$70,000
Orchestra Prize: HK$10,000
Live Audience Prize: HK$10,000
Online Audience Prize: HK$5,000Rodolfo Barráez
Assistant Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic (2023-2024); Associate Conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (2022-2026) and the Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolivár (current); signed by Askonas Holt
Marta Gardolińska
Music Director of Opera National de Lorraine (current); has worked with the London Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra etc; signed by Askonas Holt
Taichi Fukumura
Assistant Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra (current); Music Director of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra (current); Winner of the 2nd Prize at The Mahler Competition (2023); signed by KD Schmid
Corinna Niemeyer
She has worked with Orchestre de Paris, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, The Hallé, English National Opera, Danish National Symphony Orchestra and many others; Music Director of the Orchestre de Chambre du Luxembourg (2020-2024); signed by Askonas Holt
Satoshi Yoneda
Grand Prix Winner of the Besançon International Competition for Young Conductors (2025); has worked with NHK Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and many others; signed by IMG Artists
Victor Jacob
Winner of “Révélation Chef d’Orchestre” at the French Victoires de la Musique Classique (2023); has worked with the Orchestre National de France, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse etc.
