Competitions › German Conducting Award
German Conducting Award
Overview
International competition for young conductors held in Cologne every two years (2017–2025), organised by the German Music Council's Forum Dirigieren with Cologne's orchestras and opera. It covers opera and symphonic repertoire and ends with a public final concert in the Kölner Philharmonie.
- Organiser
- Deutscher Musikrat (Forum Dirigieren) with Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, WDR Sinfonieorchester, Oper Köln and Kölner Philharmonie
- Instruments
- Conducting
- Category
- Orchestral conducting
- Age limits
- 33 or younger (2025: on 31 October 2025)
Rules & repertoire
Registration & fee
Online application form (expected to open spring 2027) with ID copy, a recent ~15-min conducting video (symphonic and ideally opera; no piano rehearsals) and three photos; no fee.
Rounds & time limits
- Round 1 (closed): 12 candidates
- Round 2 (public): 6 candidates, contemporary symphonic repertoire
- Round 3 (public): 3 candidates, opera and symphonic repertoire
- Final concert at the Kölner Philharmonie
Repertoire
2025: contemporary symphonic repertoire in round 2; opera and symphonic repertoire in round 3.
Jury & prizes
Jury
- Ewa Bogusz-Moore (chair)
- Hermann Bäumer
- Patrick Lange
- Isabel Mundry
- Andris Poga
- Anu Tali
- plus orchestra and opera representatives (2025)
Prizes
- 1st prize: EUR 15,000
- 2nd prize: EUR 10,000
- 3rd prize: EUR 5,000
- Kurt Masur Audience Award: EUR 3,000
- Bärenreiter Urtext Award for finalists
Past editions
- 2025 — Cologne source
1st: Henri Christofer Aavik (Estonia); 2nd: Luis Toro Araya (Chile); 3rd: Friedrich Praetorius (Germany)
Summarised from official sources, last checked 10 Nov 2026. Main source