FEIFAN JIANG WINS THE XIV EDITION OF THE CANTELLI COMPETITION

The 14th edition of the International “Guido Cantelli” Conducting Competition, promoted by the Fondazione Teatro Coccia in Novara, has concluded with the victory of Feifan Jiang, a 25-year-old Chinese conductor. The winner was announced this evening at Teatro Coccia, at the end of the final concert, in which the four finalists – Giovanni Fanizza, Feifan Jiang, Yuta Kobayashi and Mauro Mariani – competed for the top spot on the podium of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano. Along with the First Prize certificate, Feifan Jiang received a cheque for €12,000. The Second Prize of €8,000 went to Yuta Kobayashi, while the Third Prize of €5,000 was awarded to Mauro Mariani, who also received the City Jury Prize.

In addition to the First Prize, Feifan Jiang also won the Critics’ Jury Prize, the Agencies – Management Jury Prize, the Young Jury Prize – Empathy, the Teatro Coccia Friends’ Jury Prize and the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Prize. The First, Second and Third Prizes were awarded by a jury chaired by Donato Renzetti – winner of the 10th edition of the Cantelli Prize in 1980 – and comprising Roanna Gibson (Concerts & Planning Director of the London Philharmonic Orchestra), Didier de Cottignies (Artistic Director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo), Riccardo Frizza (Artistic Consultant to the Cantelli Prize, Music Director and Artistic Director of Donizetti Opera in Bergamo, and Honorary Conductor of the Hungarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Choir), Patrick Fournillier (Music Director of the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera in Warsaw), Cristina Rocca (Vice President, Artistic Planning, Chicago Symphony Orchestra), Corrado Rovaris (Music Director of Opera Philadelphia) and Ryuichiro Sonoda (Artistic Director of Fujisawa City Opera and Principal Conductor of Pacific Philharmonia Tokyo).



Feifan Jiang has furthered his training with distinguished conductors including Riccardo Muti, Jorma Panula, Markus Stenz, Alpaslan Ertüngealp, Ronald Zollman, Ulrich Windfuhr, Mark Gibson and David Hayes. In 2024, Riccardo Muti selected him as one of four young conductors from around the world to take part in the inaugural edition of the Italian Opera Academy in China. He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music.



Feifan Jiang now joins the prestigious list of Cantelli Prize laureates. Since 1961, the competition has launched the careers of some of the most distinguished conductors on the international scene, including Riccardo Muti, Eliahu Inbal, Ádám Fischer, Hubert Soudant and Donato Renzetti. Since its revival in 2020, the competition has continued to fulfil its mission of identifying emerging talent, with previous winners including Tianyi Lu, who won the 11th edition in 2020, and Min Gyu Song, winner of the 13th edition in 2024.

The evening opened with a particularly significant moment: the unveiling on stage of the Medal of the President of the Italian Republic, awarded to the 14th edition of the Cantelli Prize as a presidential award of representation. The ceremony was attended by Novara Prefect Francesco Garsia and Cantelli Prize Artistic Director Corinne Baroni. The distinction carries particular significance in the year marking the 70th anniversary of Guido Cantelli’s death.

During the concert, each of the four finalists conducted a different programme. Giovanni Fanizza conducted the Overture to Norma by Vincenzo Bellini and 4 città invisibili by Andrei Octavian Popescu, the winning work of the 2026 Composition Call launched by Fondazione Teatro Coccia as part of the Cantelli Prize. Yuta Kobayashi conducted Don Juan, tone poem for large orchestra, Op. 20, by Richard Strauss. Mauro Mariani conducted the first and second movements of Symphony No. 9 in E minor, From the New World, Op. 95, by Antonín Dvořák, while Feifan Jiang conducted the third and fourth movements of the same symphony.

The final, held on Sunday 4 October, marked the conclusion of a three-day selection process involving 18 young conductors from 12 countries, chosen from more than 200 applications submitted from around the world. Following the preliminary rounds and semi-final, held from 1 to 3 October at the Auditorium di Milano, only four conductors qualified for the final round, which took place this evening in Novara.

The Critics’ Jury Prize (€2,000) was awarded by music critics Carla Moreni (Il Sole 24 Ore), Gian Mario Benzing (Corriere della Sera) and James Imam (Financial Times).

The Agencies – Management Jury Prize (€2,000) was awarded by three agents: Lorenzo Baldrighi (Lorenzo Baldrighi Artists Management), Mark Hildrew (Askonas Holt) and Nicholas Mathias (IMG Artists).

The Young Jury Prize – Empathy (€2,000) was awarded by students from the “Guido Cantelli” Conservatory, the “Felice Casorati” Artistic, Musical and Dance High School, and the “Giovani dietro le quinte” group.

The City Jury Prize (€1,500) was awarded by Edoardo Brustia (President of the Novara City Council), Gianluca Gaidano (Deputy Rector of the University of Eastern Piedmont), Roberto Bocchio (Deputy Director of the “Guido Cantelli” Conservatory in Novara) and Ettore Borri, President of the “Vittorio Cocito” Friends of Music Association.

The Teatro Coccia Friends’ Jury Prize (€1,500) was awarded by Cinzia Fenini, President of the Teatro Coccia Friends’ Association, Vito Lo Re and Alessandro Mormile.

The Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Prize is awarded by the orchestra’s musicians to the candidate they consider most deserving. The award was presented to Feifan Jiang during the evening by Luca Santaniello, Concertmaster of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano.

Composer Andrei Octavian Popescu also received the award for 4 città invisibili, the winning work of the 2026 Cantelli Prize Composition Call. The award includes a €3,000 prize and publication of the previously unpublished score by Sconfinarte. The winning composition was selected by the Technical Committee chaired by Cantelli Prize Artistic Director Corinne Baroni, alongside composers Alberto Cara, Cristian Carrara and Marco Taralli, and conductor Alessandro Calcagnile.

The next edition of the Cantelli Prize will take place from 5 to 8 October 2028.