Premio del Conservatorio (Kategorie D: Musica da Camera)

Premio del Conservatorio (Category D: Chamber Music)

You compete for cash prizes of 5,000 EUR for first place, 3,000 EUR for second and 2,000 EUR for third. The "Giuseppe Verdi" Conservatory of Music in Milan awards them to chamber music ensembles (small groups of players). This is a competition, not a monthly grant. Your group plays a 35 to 40 minute programme of your own choice, and a jury ranks the groups. The first-place group also performs in the Conservatory's 2026/27 concert season, in external concert series run with the Conservatory, and receives a concert prize at the Musicainsieme festival in Pordenone in February 2027. If your group is then judged the best of all category winners, you win the overall Premio del Conservatorio. That adds several concerts with major Milan music societies and a professional audio-video recording.

Who can apply

• Where you study: You are enrolled at the "Giuseppe Verdi" Conservatory of Music in Milan for 2025/2026.
• Your group: A duo must be made up entirely of currently enrolled students. From a trio upwards, one member may be an outside player, but only if they graduated from the Milan Conservatory within the last three academic years.
• How many groups: You can play in up to two groups. If you also enter a soloist category (A, B or C), you can still join Category D with a different programme.
• Field: Open to all instruments and voices, as long as the programme is written for the whole ensemble.
• Past winners: You cannot enter if you already won a first prize in this category with the same group, or if you were an overall winner of a past edition.
• Teacher sign-off: Your subject teacher must authorise your entry.

How to apply

You register online through the Conservatory's entry form by 12 April 2026. Category D has three stages in 2026: a preliminary round on 9 June, a final on 14 September, and a grand final on 24 October for category winners that decides the overall prize. The category runs only if at least 12 groups register.

How realistic are your chances?

This prize is open only to students of one Milan conservatory, so the field is small and made up of people who already know each other's playing. With a maximum of ten finalists per category, and prizes the jury can choose not to award at all, standards are high. Only strong, well-rehearsed ensembles get through. If your group plays at a high level and prepares a solid programme, your prospects are real.