Eurovision Young Musicians 1996
The Eurovision Young Musicians 1996 was the eighth edition of the Eurovision Young Musicians, held at Centro Cultural de Belém in Lisbon, Portugal on 12 June 1996. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and host broadcaster Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP), musicians from eight countries participated in the televised final. Out of the 22 countries, 14 did not qualify to the final, including the host country Portugal. All participants performed a classical piece of their choice accompanied by the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Luis Izquierdo. Six countries withdrew from the 1996 contest; they were Croatia, Denmark, Hungary, Lithuania, Macedonia and Sweden.
| Eurovision Young Musicians 1996 | |
|---|---|
| Dates | |
| Final | 12 June 1996 |
| Host | |
| Venue | Centro Cultural de Belém, Lisbon, Portugal |
| Musical director | Luis Izquierdo |
| Host broadcaster | Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP) |
| Participants | |
| Number of entries | 22 |
| Number of finalists | 8 |
| Debuting countries | None |
| Returning countries | None |
| Non-returning countries | Croatia Denmark Hungary Lithuania Macedonia Sweden |
Participation map
| |
| Vote | |
| Voting system | Jury chose their top 3 favourites by vote. |
| Winning musician | |
The disqualified countries included Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Spain and United Kingdom. For the fourth time, the host country did not qualify for the final. Julia Fischer of Germany won the contest, with Austria and Estonia placing second and third respectively.