Cliburn to launch international conducting competition in Houston in 2028

The Cliburn, best known for its international piano competition, announced it will start a new contest for young conductors, to be held in Houston in 2028. The inaugural Cliburn International Competition for Conductors will be hosted in partnership with the Houston Symphony and the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, and Marin Alsop will chair the jury.

The competition will award a $50,000 grand prize and will be held every four years. It will be open to conductors aged 21 to 35; the Cliburn said it expected between 200 and 300 applications for the first contest. A screening jury will select up to 25 conductors for live auditions in early 2028, after which 12 will be invited to compete in June with the Houston Symphony performing with the competitors.

Jacques Marquis, the Cliburn’s president and chief executive, said, “We ask our artists always to push their own boundaries, but as an organization, we have to also push our boundaries,” and added that “in this world of classical music, conductors are also really important.” Alsop, who conceived the idea for the competition, said conductors could benefit from the Cliburn’s career-management support for pianists and recalled being a finalist in the Leopold Stokowski International Conducting Competition in the late 1980s.

In addition to the grand prize, three finalists will receive $20,000 each.

Key Topics

Culture, Cliburn, Marin Alsop, Houston Symphony, Rice University, Van Cliburn