Luciano Berio International Composition Competition: the results

The Chinese composer Yikeshan Abudushalamu won the first and successful edition of the Luciano Berio International Composition Competition.
The competition was promoted by the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and the Centro Studi Luciano Berio, in collaboration with the SIAE – Italian Society of Authors and Publishers, the Filarmonica della Scala, the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino Foundation, the RAI National Symphony Orchestra and the Boris Christoff Foundation.

128 applications were submitted: 89 from Europe, 14 from the Americas, 22 from Asia, 2 from Australia and 1 from Africa; 37 are the nations represented. The composers have an age ranging from 13 to 40 years (maximum age for the admission).
The eliminatory phase, which ended on 30 September 2019, led to the identification of the finalist composers. The final phase was held in Rome on 13 and 14 October 2019. The prestigious jury, chaired by Antonio Pappano, was composed of Ivan Fedele (Italy), Unsuk Chin (South Korea), Tristan Murail (France) and Augusta Read Thomas (USA).

Each candidate was asked to send two scores: the first for symphony orchestra, the second, instead, was a free choice, in order to have a broader view of the composer's musical literature.
The jury also awarded two honorable mentions: one to the Korean composer Hankyeol Yoon and another to the Chinese composer Bo Li.

The winner received a commission worth € 20,000 for the realization of a composition for orchestra which, thanks to the partnership with the Filarmonica della Scala, the Orchestra del Teatro del Maggio Fiorentino, and the Rai National Symphony Orchestra, will have six performances in 2021: three in Rome at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and three in the venues of the partner orchestras. In addition, the composition will be published by Universal Edition (UE).