2nd PLOVDIV OPERA INTERNATIONAL CONDUCTING COMPETITION
JANUARY THE 5th – JANUARY THE 10th 2026
STATE OPERA PLOVDIV – BULGARIA, EUROPEAN UNION
Artes Association, in cooperation with State Opera Plovdiv and Plovdiv Opera Orchestra, proudly presents the second edition of Plovdiv Opera International Conducting Competition.
All the phases of the competition will be held with live orchestra and will be held in Plovdiv from January the 5th until January the 10th 2026.
The candidates are welcome to apply from May the 1st until October the 31st 2025.
The repertoire of the competition is focused on opera and is intended to test in deep the knowledge and the artistry of the admitted conductors.
As an international competition with the aim to help emerging conductors to develop their career, Plovdiv Opera International Conducting Competition provides an impressive set of opportunities to the winners and a huge media exposure to all the admitted candidates.
The prizes consist in concerts and opera productions at the State Opera Plovdiv, Teatro Massimo Bellini di Catania, Astana Opera, Pazardjik Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Sinfonica Metropolitana di Bari.
Plus, the three finalists will conduct an entire opera act during the final concert of the competition, part of 2025/2026 season of Plovdiv National Opera.
The wide geographic distribution along with the prestige of the institutions and personalities involved guarantees a wide range of opportunities to the winners, a unicum in the current panorama of classical music competitions.
RULES
1. GENERAL INFORMATION
1a. The competition is open to musicians of any nationality, of both sexes and without any age limit;
1b. The competition is structured in two main phases: ELIMINATORY PHASE and FINAL PHASE;
1c. The ELIMINATORY PHASE starts May the 1st 2025 and ends on October the 31st 2025 and consists in the examination of videos and CVs (please check the guidelines for the videos at the bottom of the page);
1d. The FINAL PHASE will take place from January the 5th until January the 25th 2026 in Plovdiv (Bulgaria) and consists on rehearsals and a concert with the Orchestra, the choir and the singers of State Opera Plovdiv;
1e. In order to participate the candidates have to fill the on-line application form on the website and send all the required documents;
2. ELIMINATORY PHASE
2a. The candidates are requested to make available to the jury two videos (please check the guidelines at the bottom of the page) and a recent CV;
2b. The candidates selected to take part to the FINAL PHASE will be informed a few days after the end of the ELIMINATORY PHASE, October 31st 2025 and their names will also be published on the website and on the social media of the competition;
3. CANDIDATES ADMITTED TO THE FINAL PHASE
3a. The FINAL PHASE consists on a First Round, a Second Round, a Semifinal and a Final in which the candidates will have to conduct the Orchestra of State Opera Plovdiv with full instrumentation and the vocal cast of the Opera House, according to the schedule below;
3b. The admitted candidates will have to choose the pieces they want to conduct among the given repertoire, except for the Semifinal and Final phase;
3c. In each Round the candidates will have a limited amount of time to show their proficiency to the jury; the exact amount of time can vary according to the decision of the jury;
3d. All the candidates admitted to the FINAL PHASE will receive a diploma attesting that they have reached this stage of the competition;
4. SCHEDULE OF THE FINAL PHASE
Venue: Studio 2019” Eksarh Josif str. 16 Plovdiv
4a. FIRST ROUND – January 5th, 6th and 7th 2026
Maximum number of admitted candidates: 60
Podium time for each conductor: about 15 minutes
Each candidate will have to conduct one Aria (with its recitativo) amont three chosen from the following lists plus the mandatory Sprechszene – “Die Weisheitslehre dieser Knaben” from die Zauberflöte; the candidates will have to choose the three arias at the moment of the confirmation of their acceptance to the FINAL PHASE;
ARIAS (3 to be chosen) – Instrumentation: Orchestra, singers
– Mozart – Don Giovanni – Nr. 2 Recitativo and duet “Ma qual mai s’offre, o Dei….Fuggi, crudele, fuggi !” (Donna Anna and Don Ottavio)
– Mozart – Don Giovanni – Nr. 10 Recitativo and Aria “Don Ottavio, son morta… Or sai chi l’onore” (Donna Anna und Don Ottavio) – Mozart – Don Giovanni – Nr. 21b Recitativo and Aria “In qualli eccessi, o Numi…. Mi tradì quell’alma ingrata” (Donna Elvira)
– Mozart – Don Giovanni – Nr. 23 Recitativo and Rondo “Crudele ! Ah no, mio bene!” (Donna Anna)
– Mozart – Le nozze di Figaro – Nr. 20 Recitativo and Aria “E Susanna non vien….Dove sono i bei momenti!” (Contessa)
– Mozart – Le nozze di Figaro – Nr. 27 Recitativo and Aria “Tutto è disposto….Aprite un pò quegl’occhi !” (Figaro)
– Mozart – La clemenza di Tito – Second Act, Scene VIII “Che orror! Che tradimento” (Tito)
– Gluck – Orfeo ed Euridice – Third Act, Scene I “Vieni! Segui i miei passi” (Orfeo and Euridice)
MANDATORY PIECE FOR ALL THE CANDIDATES Instrumentation: Orchestra, singers
W. A. Mozart, from Die Zauberflöte: Sprechszene – Die Weisheitslehre dieser Knaben
The jury will decide which pieces the candidate will have to conduct, choosing among the three proposed by the candidate; the candidate shall decide wether to run through or rehearse in the given time;
4b. SECOND ROUND – January 8th 2026
Admitted candidates: 16
Podium time for each conductor: about 15 minutes
Instrumentation: symphony orchestra
Each candidate will have to choose two (2) of the following pieces:
– G. Puccini – Intermezzo from Manon Lescaut
– R. Leoncavallo – Intermezzo from I Pagliacci
– G. Verdi – Sinfonia from La forza del destino
– G. Verdi – Sinfonia from Nabucco
– G. Puccini – Intermezzo from Madame Butterfly
– R. Wagner – Der fliegende Hollaender, Ouverture
– C.M. von Weber – Der Freischutz, Ouverture
The jury will decide which piece the candidate will have to conduct, choosing among the two proposed by the candidate; the jury can as well ask the candidate to run through or rehearse;
4c. SEMIFINAL – January 9th 2026
Admitted candidates: 8
Venue: Palace of Culture “Boris Christoff” Gladstone str. 15
Podium time for each conductor: about 30 minutes
Instrumentation: symphony orchestra and singers
Each candidate will have to prepare the following acts from Giacomo Puccini’s operas:
– G. Puccini – Tosca, third act
– G. Puccini – La Boheme, fourth act
– G. Puccini – Madame Butterfly, third act
The jury will decide which act the candidate will have to conduct; the jury can ask the entire act or parts of it; the jury can as well ask the candidate to run through or rehearse;
4d. FINAL – January 10th 2026
Admitted candidates: 3
Venue: Palace of Culture “Boris Christoff” Gladstone str. 15
Podium time for each conductor: about 50 minutes rehearsal plus concert
Instrumentation: symphony orchestra and singers
The Final consists on a dress rehearsal and a final concert to be held at Palace of Culture “Boris Christoff” in the evening of Saturday January the 10th 2026;
The programme consists on the same pieces of the semifinal:
– G. Puccini – Tosca, third act
– G. Puccini – La Boheme, fourth act
– G. Puccini – Madame Butterfly, third act
Each finalist will conduct one Act, drawn by lot;
The final concert is a concert in the regular season of State Opera Plovdiv, at the end of the concert the jury will announce the winner of the competition;
The Final Concert will be entirely recorded and broadcasted;
5. PRIZES
FIRST PRIZE:
– lEv 6.000,00
– conducting the gala concert, part of the Final of the competition, during 2025/2026 season of State Opera Plovdiv (Bulgaria);
– 1 opera production during 2026/2027 season of State Opera Plovdiv (Bulgaria);
– 1 opera production at Kazakhstan National Opera in Astana (Kazakhstan);
– Official Diploma;
SECOND PRIZE:
– lEv 3.000,00
– conducting the gala concert, part of the Final of the competition, during 2025/2026 season of State Opera Plovdiv (Bulgaria);
– conducting 1 opera during 2026/2027 season of State Opera Plovdiv (Bulgaria);
– 1 concert during 2026/2027 season of State Opera Plovdiv (Bulgaria);
– Official Diploma
THIRD PRIZE:
– lEv 2.0000,00
– conducting the gala concert, part of the Final of the competition, during 2025/2026 season of State Opera Plovdiv (Bulgaria);
– 1 concert during 2026/2027 season of Pazardjik Symphony Orchestra in Pazardjik (Bulgaria);
– Official Diploma;
SPECIAL PRIZES:
– 1 opera production or one concert during 2026/2027 season at Teatro Massimo Bellini di Catania (Italy), upon the decision of the representative of the opera house, M° Fabrizio Maria Carminati;
– 1 concert during 2026/2027 season of Orchestra Sinfonica Metropolitana di Bari (Italy);
The members of the jury will recommend the best candidates to important Opera Houses in Europe.
6. CERTIFICATES
6a. The Semi-Finalists will receive an official Diploma of Semi-Finalists at Plovdiv Opera International Conducting Competition;
6b. The candidates that pass the eliminatory phase will receive a certificate to attest their classification to the second edition of Plovdiv Opera International Conducting Competition;
6c. Representatives of International Artists Agencies and music journalists will be invited to all the stages of the competition;
7. THE JURY
The jury is composed of:
M° Fabrizio Maria Carminati – President of the jury (Italy)
Artistic Director of Teatro Massimo Bellini di Catania
M° Dian Tchobanov – Vice President of the jury (Bulgaria)
General Music Director of State Opera Plovdiv
M° Luciano di Martino (Germany)
Hamburg State Opera, State Opera Plovdiv, Opéra national du Capitole Toulose, Sofia State Opera
M° Frédéric Deloche (France)
Resident Conductor, Opéra de Nice
M° Nicola Simoni (Italy)
Opéra d’Avignon, Orchestra di Padova e del Veneto, Orchestra del Gran Teatro la Fenice di Venezia
M° Grigor Palikarov (Bulgaria)
Music Director of Pazardjik Symphony Orchestra
M° Vito Clemente (Italy)
Artistid Director, Traetta Opera Festival
M° Abzal Muhitdin (Kazakhstan)
General Music Director of Astana Opera
8. APPLICATION
8a. In order to apply the candidates must fill the on-line application form (link in the menu) and upload the required documents;
8b. The applications must be received by 24:00 (Midnight) UTC Friday October the 31st 2025;
8c. The application fee for the ELIMINATORY PHASE is € 90,00; the participation fee to the FINAL PHASE is € 410,00;
8d. The application fee and the participation fee can be paid through bank transfer or Paypal (Paypal inclused a commission fee);
9. COPYRIGHT
9a. The competition is a media event that will be recorded and broadcasted by television, radio and any other media that the organization will consider useful to the promotion of the event;
9b. Submitting their application the competitors authorize the organization to the use of their image either through photographs and audio / video that can be broadcasted via radio, television and other media (internet, etc.);
9c. Submitting their application candidates also authorize the organization to use their name and image in printed publications related to the competition;
9d. The organization expects the candidates to be available for interviews, photo shoots, and any other activity designed to make the competition interesting for the media;
10. FINAL NOTICE
10a. The decisions of the jury are final and cannot be appealed; even if the jury members are not obliged to give any explanation to the participants for their decisions, the candidates are allowed to ask for a feedback at the end of the competition;
10b. The organization is responsible for the fairness of the judgement and will consider any reasonable complain from the participants; possible complaints must be in written form;
10c. The application and participation fee will not be refunded for any reason, except for the cancellation of the competition;
10d. The competition is open to the public; sharing comments, pictures and impressions on social media is welcome; audio or video recording is not allowed;
10e. For any controversy the English text of the announcement must be considered;
GUIDELINES TO THE VIDEOS FOR THE ELIMINATORY PHASE
A. the videos’ aim is to illustrate to the jury the candidate’s skills, thus it is required that the conductor is clearly visible and preferable that at least part of it is filmed in frontal view;
B. any instrumental or vocal ensemble is accepted;
C. the candidates can provide links to videos of performances from any historical period; no more than two videos will be judged, if a candidate sends more than two videos the jury will evaluate only the first two;
D. two movements/parts of the same piece are allowed;
E. the videos must be played in streaming mode (videos don’t have to be downloaded) and must be visible by the jury without any restriction;
F. the candidates shall send one link for each video;
G. the jury will watch all the videos but is not obliged to watch them in their entire length.
