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1ST INTERNATIONAL COMPOSITION COMPETITION FOR CLASSICAL GUITAR “MARIA MALIBRAN”
1st International Composition Competition for Classical Guitar “Maria Malibran”
An initiative designed to promote contemporary composition and encourage the creation of new works for solo guitar.
The competition invites composers from all backgrounds to submit original works that have never been performed or awarded, with a maximum duration of ten minutes. The aim is to enrich the instrument’s repertoire, fostering a creative dialogue between tradition and innovation. A meaningful opportunity to actively contribute to the music of the present and the future.
Participation Requirements
Required work: an original composition for solo guitar (maximum duration: 10 minutes).
Applicants may also submit a second work or additional compositions.
Application Deadline
Applications are open until November 30, 2026 and must be submitted via the Academy’s website.
Rules and Information
To consult the official call for entries and obtain further information, please click here:
https://www.accademiamalibran.it/concorsi/concorso-internazionale-di-composizione-per-chitarra-classica
Jury
The submitted works will be evaluated by an internationally renowned jury composed of:
Sonia Bo, composer and Professor of Composition at the “G. Verdi” Conservatory in Milan
Giovanni Scapecchi, composer and Professor of Composition at the “F. Morlacchi” Conservatory in Perugia
Carlomoreno Volpini, conductor, composer, and Director of the “R. Franci” Conservatory in Siena
Prizes
The competition offers cash prizes and publication of the winning score by Edizioni Sconfinarte, a publishing house active in the promotion of contemporary music.
The winning piece will also receive its world premiere as part of the Concerti Oro 2027 series, performed by an internationally acclaimed guitarist.
The Academy is named after Maria Malibran, an extraordinary figure in the musical landscape of the nineteenth century: not only a great singer, but also a sensitive and refined composer. Alongside her celebrated vocal career, she devoted part of her work to composition, with particular attention to the repertoire for voice and guitar, revealing profound expressive depth and an innovative spirit.
Dedicating the Classical Guitar Composition Competition to her is a tribute to a complete musician, capable of uniting performance and creative artistry. In this spirit, the competition has been conceived to encourage participants to explore new expressive possibilities of the instrument, in keeping with the sensitivity and creativity that distinguished Maria Malibran.
The activities of the Accademia Malibran, already rich and diverse — from the “Concerti Oro,” devoted to classical music, jazz, and singer-songwriter repertoire, to the “Salotto Malibran,” a series of lecture-performances with themed music, as well as the International “Maria Malibran” Lifetime Achievement Award — are further enriched by this initiative, which represents an important opportunity to promote contemporary creativity and to enhance the guitar repertoire.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the members of the jury for their expertise and dedication, as well as to Sconfinarte Edizioni Musicali for their valuable collaboration and support in making this competition possible.
I extend my warmest wishes to all participants, in the hope that this experience will provide an opportunity for both artistic and personal growth, in the spirit of passion, research, and musical excellence.
Rossella Marcantoni
Artistic Director, Accademia Malibran
Composition gives proper meaning to the natural streams of sound that permeate the world.
Toru Takemitsu
Photo Rocco Pagliarini
