News: Mats Tiersch wins the Geneva Conducting Competition 2026

From the desk of Premier PR, full report to follow next week:

Mats Thiersch (23, Germany) was tonight [Friday 13 November] named winner of the Concours de Genève Conducting Competition 2026, receiving First Prize and CHF 20,000. Thiersch is the Competition’s first Conducting Laureate since 1994, when Alan Gilbert won the prize.

One of the world’s oldest music competitions, the Concours de Genève celebrated its 80th edition this year. It discovers, supports and promotes exceptional young artists from around the world. Thiersch joins Hanurij Lee, named winner of the Composition Competition on 11 November, as a winner of the 2026 edition.

Mats Thiersch, winner of the Concours de Genève Conducting Competition 2026, said:

The whole journey of the Concours de Genève has been an incredible experience. When I look back at the videos from the beginning, I see a different person. I have learned so much and participating has definitely shaped me. To now be awarded First Prize is overwhelming and I am extremely grateful for it. Special thanks to the extraordinary musicians of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and to the young composers. It was such a pleasure and a privilege to work with them. Thank you so much to everyone.

Bertrand de Billy, Chair of the Jury for the Concours de Genève Conducting Competition 2026, said:

This final showed us three very different personalities, all with great potential. In the end, after positive and constructive discussion, the jury agreed to give First Prize to Mats Thiersch, Second Prize to Jacobus de Jager and Third Prize to Gabriel Pernet.

The Competition’s unique opportunity to combine composition and conducting gave all of us – the competitors, the jury and the audience – a very special experience.

Didier Schnorhk, Secretary General of the Concours de Genève, said:

The Concours de Genève could simply be a tradition that we are proud to celebrate – instead, it stands as a model of innovation and boldness for music competitions around the world. I am immensely proud that the 80th edition of the Competition has been so pioneering. Huge congratulations to Mats Thiersch and Hanurij Lee, and to all our competitors this year – I look forward to seeing what you all do next! I also want to thank everyone who believes in the Concours, who supports it, accompanies it and brings it to life each year.

Jacobus de Jager (29, South Africa) received Second Prize and CHF 12,000, and Gabriel Pernet(27, Switzerland) Third Prize and CHF 8,000. The official prizes are funded by the Fondation Francis & Marie-France Minkoff. All three finalists conducted the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in works by Prokofiev, Strauss and Stravinsky at Geneva’s Victoria Hall. They also conducted works by the three Composition Competition finalists in an earlier Final Round on 11 November, marking the first time the two Competitions have been combined.

The international jury comprised Bertrand de Billy (Chair), Mark Stringer (Vice-Chair), Baldur Brönnimann, Martin Campbell-White, Unsuk Chin, Laurent Gay, Sarah Nemtanu, Eva Ollikainen, Peter Oundjian, Natalia Ponomarchuk, Arturo Tamayo and Wingsie Yip.  

Special prizes announced on the night included:

• Audience Prize (CHF 1,500) – won by Gabriel Pernet
• Young Audience Prize (CHF 1,000) – won by Mats Thiersch, chosen by students at Geneva’s public and private schools 
• Students’ Prize (CHF 1,000) – won by Gabriel Pernet, awarded by students from the Faculty of Music and the Department of Musicology of the University of Geneva. The prize is offered by Ms and Mr Hervieu-Causse
• Rose-Marie Huguenin Prize (CHF 10,000) – awarded to all three Conducting finalists to support a project of their choice, administered by the Concours de Genève
• OSR Musicians’ Prize – awarded to Mats Thiersch by the musicians of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, for a concert engagement with the orchestra within the next two seasons 
• HEM Orchestra Musicians’ Prize – awarded to Gabriel Pernet by the musicians of the HEM Orchestra, for an engagement to conduct the orchestra in the 2027-28 season 
• Éric Ballard Foundation Prize (CHF 3,000) – won by Mats Thiersch for commitment to and interpretation of the contemporary work performed in the Final
• Etrillard Foundation Prize (CHF 5,000) – awarded to Jacobus de Jager for an outstanding artistic project presented at the professional workshops in September 2026. The Foundation will support the realisation of the winner’s project.
• Semi-Finalist Prize (CHF 3,000) – awarded to the three semi-finalists (Alejandro Cantalapiedra, Simon Schmied and Leonard Weiss) who were not selected to advance to the Final

The prize packages of the Concours de Genève are one of the most comprehensive of any music competition. Beyond the prizes, Concours de Genève laureates are offered a career development programme designed to help launch international careers. It includes two years of services from Paris-based concert agency Sartory Artists, management representation, international concert tours, personal coaching and commissions. One winner will also have the opportunity to record an album with orchestra for La Dolce Volta. Past laureates include Martha Argerich, Alan Gilbert, Nelson Goerner, Georg Solti, José Van Dam and Tabea Zimmermann.

The Finals were broadcast live worldwide via the Concours de Genève website and YouTube channel, medici.tv, amadeus.tv, Mezzo TV and The Violin Channel. RTS – Espace 2 broadcast the Finals to listeners in Switzerland.

The Concours de Genève returns in 2027 with Piano and, for the first time, Baroque Violin competitions. More information is available on the here.