Winners of the Composition Prize of the Académie Ravel 2026

The Académie Ravel Composition Prize was awarded on August 30, following the competition, which featured the world premieres of works by the five composers of the 2026 cohort.

The winners are:
Jon Esnaola (26, Spain) for his piece Hutsean
&
Damián Lautaro Gorandi (34, Argentina) for his piece Los que sostenian las estrellas

The jury consisted of:
– Lucia Ronchetti (chair)
– Édith Canat de Chizy
– Alexandros Markeas
– Ramon Lazkano
– Éric Denut

Jon Esnaola is a student at Musikene – Centro Superior de Música del País Vasco, while Damián Lautaro Gorandi studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. Each will receive a paid commission for the 2027 Festival Ravel, along with the publication of their work by Éditions Durand-Salabert-Eschig.

Congratulations to them, and to the three other composers who took part in the 2026 Académie Ravel Composition Academy: Sophia Chambon, Guillem Palomar and Guilherme Ribeiro!

—
Rooted in the legacy of French composers and with a particular focus on contemporary music, the Académie Ravel Composition Academy was founded in 2022, with its first edition chaired by Philippe Manoury. Subsequent editions welcomed renowned composers, including Helmut Lachenmann (2023), George Benjamin (2024) and Michael Jarrell (2023, 2024, 2025). In 2026, Hèctor Parra chaired its fifth edition. The students had the opportunity to work under the guidance of an outstanding teaching team, to benefit from meeting high-level young performers from around the world, trained at leading institutions, and to have their works heard by a prestigious jury.

—
With the support of Éditions Durand-Salabert-Eschig and Ravel Edition.