Making a name as a conductor can be an intimidating prospect – not only given the challenges of performing, but also because the classical music world is so crowded with talent already. Conducting competitions can be especially crucial for young conductors, and the newly established Pehlivanian International Conducting Competition looks to be a valuable forum for conducting talent to make itself known.
Founded by Beirut-born conductor George Pehlivanian, the competition is named in memory of his mother, soprano Arpine Pehlivanian. Emigrating from Lebanon to the United States in the 1970s, the Pehlivanians built prominent musical careers, with George studying conducting with Pierre Boulez and Lorin Maazel, later winning the Besançon Competition in 1991.
With the final held at the lakeside resort of Bled, Slovenia, the new Pehlivanian Competition looks to put Slovenia firmly on the classical music map. George Pehlivanian was Chief Conductor of the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra from 2005–08, and later founding the Slovenian Festival Orchestra.
Candidates in the competition’s final rounds will conduct the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, with soloists for a piano concerto round being laureates of the Busoni and Ljubljana Festival competitions. Indeed, the competition’s proceedings are more extensive than is common, and designed to be open to a large pool of candidates.
In November 2026, a total of six rounds will whittle down a pool of up to 144 conductors, performing in a preliminary round with two pianos before five orchestral rounds, including selections from Stravinsky, Mozart and opera scenes from Verdi’s La Traviata. The final symphonic round, at the Festival Hall, Bled will feature only 3 finalists, conducting Tchaikovsky, Dvořák and Beethoven. Aside from the preliminary stage, all rounds are open to the public.
Unusually, however, a series of 15 pre-selection auditions will be held all over the world from the end of March through to May this year. Candidates will audition by conducting the first two movements from Brahms’ First Symphony, in a two-piano arrangement. The aim for this is to allow a broad range of applications, from conductors worldwide, regardless of their training and background. Diplomas in orchestral conducting are not required for application, and there is no upper age limit. Auditions will be held in Berlin, Vienna, Oslo, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Tokyo, London, Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, Paris, Milan and Ljubljana.
Candidates outside of these areas, who cannot make it to one of the in-person auditions, will also be able to submit videos. For instance, candidates based in South America, Africa, Middle East, Turkey, Australia & New Zealand, Russia and Central Asia, and the Balkans outside of Slovenia.
Conducting competitions are highly selective environments, but it’s clear the Pehlivanian Competition wishes to be as thoroughly open as possible – with the hope that a talented conductor could emerge from anywhere in the world, regardless of their background. As well as all of this, the competition will host a 3-day career development conference in Bled, with around 30 invited guest speakers. Streamed live online, the aim of the meeting is to bring together professionals in classical music in order to strengthen and improve the inclusivity and fairness of the sector. With sessions offering insights on education, orchestras, festivals and agencies, networking opportunities at the conference may prove invaluable to the competition’s candidates.
The competition is also partnering with orchestras and opera houses to offer candidates in later stages valuable opportunities to guest conduct. These include the major Slovenian orchestras and opera houses, several orchestras and opera houses in Italy, including Teatro La Fenice di Venezia and Teatro Comunale di Bologna, as well as organisations elsewhere, including New York City Opera, the National Taiwan Symphony and the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz. In all, it is an enviable prospect for the candidate conductors.
Out of the 18 finalists, six main prizes will be awarded, with the grand prize being $50,000. Aside from the six placed prizes, also awarded will be a memorial Arpine Pehlivanian prize, a public prize, a special jury prize and an orchestra prize, which includes an opportunity to record with the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra.
Aside from George Pehlivanian himself, the jury comprises notable figures from the classical music industry: Bill Chandler, director of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus will chair the panel. Also present will be Lawrence Foster, conductor and former Music Director of the Gulbenkian Orchestra, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo and Opéra de Marseille. Joining him is Henry Fogel, former president of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and his colleague Cristina Rocca, from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association. Others include performers, programmers and agents from Norway, Germany, Italy and Slovenia. Attracting any of these individuals’ attention would be a likely boon to any budding conductor’s career.
Applications for the Pehlivanian International Conducting Competition have been extended until 25th February, with the first pre-selection auditions beginning 31st March.
The finals in Bled, Slovenia will be held from 7th–14th November 2026.
See more information about the Pehlivanian International Conducting Competition.
This article was sponsored by the Pehlivanian International Conducting Competition.
