The third edition of the Fosco Corti International Competition for Choir Conductors is organised by Feniarco, Associazione Cori Piemontesi and the G. Verdi Conservatoire of Turin, under the label of the European Choral Association, with the patronage of Piedmont Region, Piedmont regional counci and CIty of Turin and the support of Ministry of Culture and CRT Foundation.
The competition will be held on 18, 19 and 20 October 2024 at the Conservatorio G. Verdi in Turin, Via Mazzini 11.
The competition is open to conductors of all world's nationalities. All participants must be
born between 1st November 1984 and 18 October 2006. A maximum number of 18 conductors are admitted to the competition. Participants will be selected upon scrutinising all the eligible application materials, videos and curriculum vitae.
The competition falls into three parts: preliminary, semi-final and final.
PRELIMINARY ROUND
First part: performance without rehearsing of two pieces out of six, chosen by lot on the evening of Thursday 17 October.
The conductors' performance order will also be drawn on the evening of Thursday 17 October.
Second part: rehearsing of a piece (7 minutes maximun lenght), among six, chosen by lot on the evening of Thursday 17 October. The final performance of the piece is not mandatory. The conductors' performance order will be reversed with respect to the first part.
At the end of the preliminary round, the jury will announce the candidates who will be admitted to the semi-final (maximum of 10 conductors). The candidates' order and the pieces for the semi-final round will then be drawn.
SEMI-FINAL ROUND
First part: rehearsing and performance of one piece among five, chosen by lot on the evening of Friday 18 October. The candidates will have a maximum time of 15 minutes.
Second part: rehearsing and performance of one piece among five, chosen by lot on the evening of Friday 18 October. The candidates will have a maximum time of 15 minutes. The conductors' performance order will be reversed with respect to the first part.
At the end of the semi-final rounds the jury will announce the candidates who will enter the final round (maximum of 5 conductors). The candidates' order and the pieces for the semi-final round will then be drawn.
FINAL ROUND
First part: each candidate will have 25 minutes to rehearse the compulsory piece and one other piece chosen by lot among five proposed. The jury will be present at the rehearsal which, therefore, will be evaluated.
Second part: each candidate must perform, as in concert, the two pieces rehearsed in the first part of the final. The order in which the conductors perform will be the same as in the first part.
PRELIMINARY ROUND
First part
By lottery:
1. Gianmartino Durighello (1961) Video caelos apertos [SATB div, unpublished, for free use by the composer through Feniarco]
2. Francesca Idini (1997) Cantico di frate Sole [SSAATTBB, ed. Feniarco], winning piece of the 2nd Composition Competition of the Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi of Turin
3. Alessandro Kirschner (1972) Cantantibus organis [SATB div, unpublished, for free use by the composer through Feniarco]
4. Matteo Magistrali (1980) Tristis est anima mea [SATB div, unpublished, for free use by the composer through Feniarco]
5. Giacomo Mezzalira (1959) O magnum mysterium [SATB div, ed. Carrara]
6. Biagio Putignano (1960) Sorgente e vita del creato [SATB, ed. Feniarco]
♪ National Youth Choir | mixed choir | conductor Marco Berrini
Second part
By lottery:
1. Gustav Holst (1874-1934) Two Eastern pictures, I. Spring for choir and harp [SSA, ed. Stainer & Bell]
2. Gustav Holst (1874-1934) Two Eastern pictures, II. Summer for choir and harp [SSA, ed. Stainer & Bell]
3. Josef Gabriel Rheinberger (1839-1901) Maitag op. 64, 1. Frühmorgens for choir and piano [SSA, ed. Carus]
4. Josef Gabriel Rheinberger (1839-1901) Maitag op. 64, 2. Ballade for choir and piano [SSA, ed. Carus]
5. Josef Gabriel Rheinberger (1839-1901) Maitag op. 64, 3. Mittagsruhe for choir and piano [SSA, ed. Carus]
6. Josef Gabriel Rheinberger (1839-1901) Maitag op. 64, 5. Heimfahrt for choir and piano [SSA, ed. Carus]
♪ With Us Youth Choir of Rome | youth female choir | conductor Camilla Di Lorenzo
SEMI-FINAL ROUND
First part
By lottery:
1. William Byrd (1540ca-1623) Venite exsultemus Domino [SSATBB, ed. Feniarco]
2. Andrea Gabrieli (1532ca-1585) Sancta et immaculata Virginitas [SSATB, ed. Feniarco]
3. Orlando di Lasso (1532-1594) Salve Regina [SSATB, ed. Feniarco]
4. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525ca-1594) Justitiae Domini [SATTB, ed. Feniarco]
5. Tomás Luis de Victoria (1548ca-1611) Congratulamini mihi [SSATTB, ed. Feniarco]
♪ Torino Chamber Choir | mixed choir | conductor Dario Tabbia
Second part
By lottery:
1. Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) Der Abendhimmel WAB 55 [TTBB, Choral Public Domain Library]
2. Moritz Hauptmann (1792-1868) Wunderbar ist mir geschehn op. 49 n. 12 [TTBB, ed. Carus]
3. Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) Abendständchen, da Vier lieder op. 75 [TTBB, ed. Breitkopf & Härtel]
4. Josef Gabriel Rheinberger (1839-1901) Ave Maria da Missa in si bem. magg. [TTBB, ed. PH Publishers]
5. Robert Schumann (1810-1856) Die Lotosblume op. 33 n. 3 [TTBB, Choral Public Domain Library]
♪ Coro polifonico of Ruda / male choir| conductor Fabiana Noro
FINAL ROUND
First part
Compulsory piece:
1. Goffredo Petrassi (1904-2003) Nonsense I e II [SATB div, ed. Suvini Zerboni]
By lottery:
1. Nana Forte (1981) O Oriens [SATB+SATB, ed. Gehrmans Musikförlag]
2. Steven Heelein (1984) Agnus Dei [SSAATTBB, ed. Steven Heelein]
3. Vytautas Miškinis (1954) Dum medium silentium [SSAATTBB, ed. Carus]
4. Ildebrando Pizzetti (1880-1968) Ululate, quia prope est dies Domini, from 3 choral compositions [SSATBB, ed. Suvini Zerboni]
5. Einojuhani Rautavaara (1928-2016) Credo (SATB div., ed. Fennica Gehrman]
♪ S:t Jacobs Chamber Choir of Stockholm, Sweden| mixed choir | conductor Gary Graden
Second part
Pieces reharsed during the first part.
► Thursday 17 October 2024
6:30 pm: participants' presentation, draw to establish the order of performance and the pieces for the preliminary round.
► Friday 18 October 2024
PRELIMINARY ROUND
First part
h 9:30 n. 6 candidates
h 11:00 n. 6 candidates
h 12.15 n. 6 candidates
Second part
h 16:00 n. 6 candidates (7 minutes each)
h 17.15 n. 6 candidates (7 minutes each)
h 18:30 n. 6 candidates (7 minutes each)
h 20:00 announcement of the candidates admitted to the semi-final, draw to establish the order of performance and the pieces
► Saturday 19 October 2024
SEMI-FINAL ROUND
First part
h 10:00 n. 4 candidates (15 minutes each)
h 11:15 n. 4 candidates (15 minutes each)
h 12:30 n. 2 candidates (15 minutes each)
Second part
h 16:00 n. 4 candidates (15 minutes each)
h 17:15 n. 4 candidates (15 minutes each)
h 18:30 n. 2 candidates (15 minutes each)
h 19:45 announcement of the candidates admitted to the final, draw to establish the order of performance and the pieces
► Sunday 20 October 2024
FINAL ROUND
h 10:00 n. 3 candidates (25 minutes each)
h 12:00 n. 2 candidates (25 minutes each)
Second part
h 17:00 final and concert
h 19:00 winners' announcement and awards
First prize: € 2.000 and diploma
Second prize: € 1.500 and diploma
Third prize: € 1.000 and diploma
Special prizes:
Grazia Abbà special prize for the youngest conductor admitted to the final: € 500
Special prize Noël Minet Fund of the Friends of the European Choral Association: Scholarship of up to 500 € for a promising young conductor to attend a training course in 2025/26
Final concert audience prize: € 500
The jury of the competition will consist of 5 well-known musicians:
- Basilio Astulez (Spain, Basque Country)
- Māris Sirmais (Latvia)
- Helene Stureborg (Sweden)
- Piero Monti (Italy)
- Roberta Paraninfo (Italy)
To join the competition, candidates must complete and send by 31st May 2024 the application form available on this website.
Together with the personal data it is required a music curriculum vitae, two videos featuring a candidate's conducting performance and the payment of the registration fee. The two videos have to propose two different compositions in terms of era and style. In addition, at least one of them must have a front view of the conductor, otherwise he/she will be excluded from the selection. The videos must be live and not the result of editing or post-production changes. Videos with orchestra or piano conducting are not admitted.
By the 15th July 2024, the list of candidates admitted to the competition will be announced by a jury consisting of 4 members representing respectively Feniarco, Associazione Cori Piemontesi, G. Verdi Conservatoire of Music and European Choral Association.
To enter the competition it is required to pay a registration fee (non-refundable) of € 50 to be paid by 31st May 2024. The payment can be transferred to Feniarco addressed to
Feniarco, Intesa Sanpaolo: IBAN IT79P0306909606100000060527 - BIC/SWIFT BCITITMM
Candidates admitted must pay the participation fee according to the following table by 31 July 2024, under penalty of exclusion from the competition.
Country group 1: AT, BE, CA, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, HK, IE, IL, IS, IT, JP, KR, NL, NO, SE, SG, UK, US
Country group 2: AR, CN, CZ, EE, GR, HR, HU, LT, LV, PL, PT, SI, SK, TW, ZA and some overseas countries.
Country group 3: AL, AM, BA, BG, BY, GE, KZ, MD, ME, MK, RO, RS, RU, TR, UA.
| Application fees for the admitted participants | ECA indirect members | No members |
| Country group 1 | € 120 | € 180 |
| Country group 2 | € 100 | € 150 |
| Country group 3 | € 80 | € 120 |
The third edition of the F. Corti International Choir Conducting Competition also offers the opportunity to participate in the event from a special angle, with the valuable guidance of an experienced teacher-conductor. The initiative aims to involve choral conductors and students of choral conducting in a training and in-depth course that allows them to analyse a plurality of situations, experiences, repertoires, in a high-profile international context.
All details and registration procedures will be available on the dedicated page.
The official language of the competition is English, in all rounds and contexts.
Participation in the competition implies acceptance of the regulation in each of its articles.
The jury's judgment and decisions are final and binding.
The choirs will have good knowledge of the repertoire.
Every participant must perform from original scores and it is responsibility of the individual participant to use them.