Following the successes of previous editions, this year the “Luciano Berio” International Composition Competition, now in its third edition and aimed at young composers under 35, has come to a close. The jury, chaired by Daniel Harding and composed of a range of international composers, evaluated 57 new compositions before announcing the winner: Edoardo Dadone, an Italian composer selected unanimously. The jury appreciated his musical writing, attentive to detail, recognizing its great potential.
A special mention was given to the composition by José Luís Valdivia Arias, a Spanish composer.
Dadone commented on the victory as follows:
«Happiness, euphoria, and gratitude towards the jury – the most prestigious imaginable – are the feelings crowding my mind right now. This recognition, certainly the most important of my path as a musician, honors me also for the connection with Luciano Berio, a beloved figure always intertwined with the highest achievements, in my opinion, that Italian culture has produced from the 1950s onwards. I like to think that reading the very sharp portrait of Berio in Alberto Arbasino’s “Italian Portraits”, which happened the day before this news, brought good luck».
Born in Cuneo in 1992, Edoardo Dadone studied guitar with Stefano Viada and Luigi Biscaldi. He subsequently took composition courses with Stefano Gervasoni, Francesco Filidei, and Fabien Lévy. He earned his diploma in composition under M° Giorgio Planesio, continuing his studies with M° Giorgio Colombo Taccani. For the past two years, he has been a student in the master courses of M° Alessandro Solbiati. He has won numerous composition competitions (ComoContemporanea, Valentino Bucchi, EstOvest Festival), in addition to being composer in residence of Divertimento Ensemble in 2021. He is also the Artistic Direction Assistant of the EstOvest Festival.
Dadone will receive a commission worth 20,000 euros to compose an original piece for a symphony orchestra, which will be performed in a world premiere during the 2027/2028 season by the Orchestra di Santa Cecilia and, subsequently, also in the concert seasons of the partner Orchestras, as well as being included in the Universal Edition (UE) catalog for worldwide distribution. The competition took place with the contribution of SIAE, Società Italiana Autori Editori.
The call required the submission of two scores, one for a symphony orchestra, the other with a free ensemble, starting from 3 instruments. It was possible to submit both previously performed works and published works. A total of 57 participants were registered (excluding those aged 35 and over), aged between 19 and 34, with an average participation age of 27. Numerous countries were represented, including Italy (24 participants), China (10), Spain (5), Poland (3), South Korea (3), Greece (2), and Japan (2). Regarding gender distribution, there was a prevalence of male participants (84.2 %) compared to women (15.8 %).
This year’s jury was chaired by Daniel Harding, Musical Director of the Orchestra e Coro di Santa Cecilia. Alongside Harding were prominent figures in the international musical landscape: Marcello Panni, composer and Academic of Santa Cecilia, Marco Stroppa, a composer who has long collaborated with IRCAM in Paris, the composer Unsuk Chin, winner of awards such as the Arnold Schönberg Prize, the Marie-Josée Kravis Prize for New Music from the New York Philharmonic, and Philippe Manoury, considered one of the most important French composers, as well as being a pioneer in the field of live electronics.
The competition is organized and promoted by the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in collaboration with the Centro Studi Luciano Berio, the Teatro Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, the Teatro Massimo di Palermo, the Teatro Comunale di Bologna and Universal Edition (UE).
Reserved for composers under 35, the Competition was created with the aim of promoting contemporary music through the creation and dissemination of new pieces for symphony orchestras. The first edition of the competition, won by Chinese composer Yikeshan Abudushalamu, saw the participation of composers from 13 to 40 years old (the maximum participation age for the first two editions). The second edition, in 2022, was won instead by the Italian Enrico Scaccaglia.
The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia thanks the Berio family for their kind permission to name the Competition after Luciano Berio.
The Winner of the 2025 “Luciano Berio” International Composition Competition will receive the following prizes:
- Commission of €20,000 for the composition of an original piece for symphony orchestra (including first performance rights) with the duration and instrumentation specified in Article 7;
- World premiere performance during the 2027-28 season of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia;
- Performance in the concert seasons of partner orchestras;
- Inclusion of the newly commissioned work in the Universal catalog – published through SCODO – for worldwide distribution;
- Free two-year Professional subscription to the Scodo Universal Edition (EU) portal.
THE JURY
Daniel Harding President
Marcello Panni (Italy)
Marco Stroppa (Italy)
Unsuk Chin (South Corea)
Philippe Manoury (France)
INFORMATION
Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Fondazione
Tel: +39 06/328171
e-mail: compositioncompetition@santacecilia.it
The “Luciano Berio” International Composition Competition is a member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions (WFIMC)
with the support of
