Lucerne launches CHF 90,000 conducting competition

The Lucerne Symphony Orchestra is launching a new international conducting competition with CHF 90,000 in prizes and funding secured for ten editions through 2045. The inaugural Thomas and Doris Ammann Prize for Young Conductors will take place from June 24 to 27, 2027, before continuing every two years.

Fabio Luisi will chair the first jury. Other confirmed members are the orchestra’s Artistic and Executive Director, Numa Bischof Ullmann, and Chief Conductor Michael Sanderling. Additional jurors will be announced later.

Up to 14 conductors will be selected to work with the orchestra across a first round, semi-final and final. The public final concert is scheduled for June 27 at 11am at KKL Luzern. Repertoire and further scheduling details remain to be announced.

First prize is CHF 50,000 and includes an invitation to conduct the orchestra at KKL in the following season. Second prize is CHF 25,000, with a concert opportunity at a special venue in or around Lucerne within 18 months. Third prize is CHF 15,000.

Applications opened on October 30 and close at midnight Central European Time on February 28, 2027. Candidates must be under 37 on the opening day of the competition and apply exclusively through Muvac. At least one submitted video must show a minimum of 15 minutes of conducting; applicants may provide up to three videos, each no longer than an hour.

The competition was initiated by the Thomas and Doris Ammann Foundation. Its long-term commitment distinguishes the project from a single anniversary event, while the associated engagements extend support beyond cash awards.

It will sit alongside the orchestra’s existing annual conducting week, which produces an assistant conductor each year. The new biennial contest adds a separate international selection route, with the orchestra itself central to how candidates demonstrate their work.