The Mahler Competition: Round 1Entrée libre

Since 2004, The Mahler Competition has been one of the world’s most prestigious competitions for young conductors. We receive more than 500 applications from all over the world for each competition, but only a maximum of 24 selected talents are invited to Bamberg for intensive work with the Bamberg Symphony under professional conditions that almost no other competition can offer. All rounds of the competition, including the finals, are open to the public and offer fascinating insights into the work of a conductor. In the two-day finals, the three remaining candidates each receive two and a half hours of rehearsal time with the orchestra – an extraordinary format that makes depth and development audible. In the final concert on 3 July, the finalists conduct the same programme again in front of an audience and the jury. The audience then votes online, the jury retires to deliberate, and at the end of the evening, the prize winners are announced, opening the doors to an international career.

The competition is made possible by the generous support of the Friends of the Bamberg Symphony, the Oberfrankenstiftung, the Brose company and the Mahler Foundation.

Free admission