The closing concert of the 12th Jorma Panula International Conducting Masterclass will take place at the Budapest Music Center on 11 September 2026 at 6:00 p.m., with participants of the masterclass conducting the MÁV Symphony Orchestra. This special event offers audiences an opportunity to discover a new generation of talented young musicians who may become the leading conductors of the future.
Jorma Panula, the legendary 96-year-old Finnish conductor, is one of the world’s most renowned figures in conducting and is often referred to as the “master of conductors”. For decades, Maestro Panula has been regarded worldwide as an extraordinary figure in the teaching of conducting, having mentored such internationally acclaimed conductors as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Sakari Oramo and Jukka-Pekka Saraste, among many others. During his active conducting career, he served for several decades as music director of major orchestras, but his international reputation rests above all on his remarkable work as a teacher. From 1973 onwards, he trained future generations of conductors at the music academies of three Nordic capitals – Helsinki, Stockholm and Copenhagen – and he continues to give masterclasses around the world to this day.
The 96-year-old conductor and professor began his collaboration with the MÁV Symphony Orchestra twelve years ago. Since then, he has held an international conducting masterclass in Budapest every year, organised by MasterclassBudapest. This year, more than sixty aspiring conductors from around the world applied to take part.
From among the applicants, Maestro Panula selected ten participants, with whom he will work for five days from 7 September 2026 in the rehearsal hall of the MÁV Symphony Orchestra. The truly international character of the masterclass is reflected in the participants, who come from the United States, Japan and China, as well as European countries including Finland, Italy, Spain, Germany and Hungary.
The youngest participant is 14-year-old Arijus Šereckis from Finland, who also took part in last year’s masterclass. The MÁV Symphony Orchestra has already had the opportunity to experience his exceptional talent, and this season he will return to conduct the orchestra in its popular Grandchildren and Grandparents series. The concert will take place on 7 November 2026 in the Ceremonial Hall of the Hungarian National Museum.
About the Gala Concert programme
The evening’s programme spans the magical world of Romanticism to the dawn of the modern era, providing the young conductors with an ideal opportunity to demonstrate both their stylistic understanding and technical versatility.
The concert opens with Mendelssohn’s sparkling Overture to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, evoking an enchanting, fairy-tale world. It is followed by one of the composer’s most popular works, his Symphony No. 4 (“Italian”), bursting with Mediterranean joie de vivre and energy.
The programme continues with Ravel’s ** Pavane pour une infante défunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess)**, a masterpiece of delicate elegance, wistfulness and noble melancholy.
The concert concludes with Danish composer Carl Nielsen’s Symphony No. 1, a work of tremendous energy and vivid Nordic character. With its dramatic outbursts and adventurous harmonies, the symphony provides a fitting finale, reflecting the dedication and dynamic spirit of a new generation of conductors.
Tickets and further information:
https://mavzenekar.hu/koncert/jorma-panula-nemzetkozi-karmesterkurzus-galakoncertje
