Luciano Berio
INTERNATIONAL COMPOSITION COMPETITION
Third edition
General Regulations
Article 1 – Purpose and Objectives
The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Foundation, in collaboration with the Centro Studi Luciano Berio, announces the third edition of the “Luciano Berio” International Composition Competition. The mission of the Competition is to promote contemporary classical music and young composers by encouraging the creation and dissemination of new works for symphony orchestra. Specifically, the Competition aims to select a winning composer who will receive a €20,000 commission for the composition of an original piece for symphony orchestra (with the duration and instrumentation requirements specified in Article 7), to be performed as a world premiere during the 2027-2028 Symphony Season of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and, subsequently, in the concert seasons of other orchestras and musical institutions. The Competition is organized in collaboration with musical institutions that share its goals and objectives and will contribute in various ways to their achievement. Specifically:
- Teatro Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
- Teatro Massimo di Palermo
- Teatro Comunale di Bologna
will perform the piece commissioned by the winner during their concert seasons;
- Universal Edition (EU)
will offer the winner of the Competition a free two-year subscription to the SCODO portal, with all its features (Professional subscription); will include the newly commissioned work—published through SCODO—in its catalog for worldwide distribution; and will offer all competition participants a one-time free evaluation of their works.
The following will also support the Competition:
- SIAE (Italian Society of Authors and Publishers)
- the Boris Christoff Foundation.
The “Luciano Berio” International Composition Competition is a member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions in Geneva.
The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia thanks the Berio family for their kind permission to name the Competition after Luciano Berio.
Article 2 – Admission Requirements
The Competition is open to composers of any nationality who are under the age of 35 on February 28, 2026.
Article 3 – Registration Procedure
To participate in the Competition, applicants must submit two scores composed for the following instrumental ensembles:
- Symphony orchestra, with or without soloists and/or voices (excluding the choir)
- Free ensemble, including chamber music, of three or more instruments (or voices).
Scores of previously performed or published works are also eligible.
The application to enter the Competition must reach the Foundation no later than midnight on
February 28, 2026
and may be submitted exclusively online by completing the APPLICATION FORM published on the Foundation’s website at www.santacecilia.it/compositioncompetition and submitting it electronically according to the instructions on the website.
Candidates must attach to their application:
- the two scores in PDF format. The scores must be anonymous and marked with a motto or identification code, the same for both, taking care to distinguish the score for symphony orchestra with the terminal “1” and the score for other instruments with the terminal “2” (e.g., motto #1 and motto #2). It is mandatory to remove the original titles from the scores as well as any markings or references that could lead to the identification of the author and any publisher, under penalty of exclusion from the Competition.
- artistic CV (in Italian and/or English);
- photocopy of identity document;
- declaration of exclusive authorship of the submitted works (using the form downloadable from the website);
- receipt of payment for the competition registration fee of €100 (one hundred/00), to be made using one of the following methods:
- postal payment: account no. 30406003, payable to the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia – Fondazione;
- bank transfer: account no. 9872, payable to the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Fondazione, with the following details: Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (BNL) Branch no. 6340, Rome, Via del Corso, 471 – IBAN: IT31 I010 0503 2400 0000 0009 872, SWIFT code BIC BNLIITRR;
- via PayPal directly on the website at the time of registration.
The registration fee is non-refundable, except in the event of cancellation of the Competition.
Article 4 – International Jury
The scores submitted will be judged by an international jury chaired by Maestro Daniel Harding, Music Director of the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and also composed of:
Salvatore Sciarrino (Italy)
Marco Stroppa (Italy)
Unsuk Chin (South Korea)
Philippe Manoury (Francia)
The jury will be assisted by a Secretary appointed by the Foundation for all procedures related to the implementation of the competition procedures.
Article 5 – Competition Phases
The Jury’s work will be structured as follows:
- Upon closing of the competition, an elimination phase will begin, which will lead the jury to identify a shortlist of finalist composers;
– The final phase will be held in Rome on July 16 and 17, 2026. During this phase, the Jury will jointly evaluate the finalist scores and select the Competition Winner. The identity of the Winner will be revealed to the Jury only at the conclusion of the work.
The Jury reserves the right to nominate other deserving composers, who will be awarded a Certificate of Merit.
Article 6 – Prizes and Awards
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.
Article 7 – Characteristics of the Piece Commissioned to the Winning Composer
Subject of the Commission as per Articles 1 and 6 will be the composition of a piece with the following characteristics regarding duration and instrumentation:
Duration: between 12 and 15 minutes
Orchestra: no more than
3 flutes (3rd also piccolo)
3 oboes (3rd also English horn)
3 clarinets (3rd also bass clarinet)
3 bassoons (3rd also contrabassoon)
4 horns
3 trumpets (in C or B-flat)
3 trombones
tuba
timpani
percussion (maximum three performers)
harp
strings (maximum number 16, 14, 12, 10, 8)
Article 8 – First Performance Rights
The Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Foundation holds the exclusive right to perform the piece commissioned from the Competition Winner as a world premiere during the 2027-2028 symphony season and reserves the right to schedule its broadcast. Radio and/or television. The partner institutions will subsequently include the performance of the piece in their concert seasons.
Article 9 – Final Provisions
Participation in the competition implies the candidate’s unconditional acceptance of the final decision of the International Jury, the rules contained in this announcement, and the applicable internal regulations. Failure to meet the required requirements or failure to comply with the procedures and deadlines established in this announcement may result in the candidate’s exclusion from participation in the competition.
This announcement is published in Italian and English; in the event of a dispute, the original Italian text will be the only legally valid text. Any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Court of Rome.
Roma, 22 December 2025
IL PRESIDENTE-SOVRINTENDENTE
Massimo Biscardi
INFORMATION:
Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia Fondazione
“Luciano Berio” International Composition Competition
Largo Luciano Berio, 3 – 00196 Roma
tel. +39 06 328171 – Fax +39 06 32817366