Donatella Flick Conducting Competition announces new dates

From 21-23 May, 20 young conductors will conduct the London Symphony Orchestra in the biennial Donatella Flick Conducting Competition. 

The winner receives a £15,000 cash prize from Donatella Flick and becomes assistant conductor at the London Symphony Orchestra for one year. 

Originally scheduled to take place in February 2021, the competition was postponed, and will now take place in a Covid-secure environment. Now taking place at LSO St Luke's, rather than the Barbican, the competition will be streamed on Medici.tv, and performers and conductors will be socially distanced.  

For the first time, all 20 candidates will have the chance to conduct the London Symphony Orchestra, rather than finalists only. A new jury has been assembled, and each competitor entering the UK will arrive early to quarantine according to UK laws.

Donatella Flick, the competition’s founder, said: 'After 30 years of careful planning and honing to make my competition of as much value as possible for young conductors, I was determined that the reality of a global pandemic was something that we would work with rather than allow to defeat us.

'We have all made changes and sacrifices in our lives over the past year, not least the musical community, which has been very deeply affected by Covid-19. Our close partner, the London Symphony Orchestra, has been at the front and centre of plans for the musical world to reopen, and I am grateful for the support and expertise of its players and staff, which has been invaluable.

'I am also grateful to our new jury members for giving up their time at short notice and to each and every one of the contestants who will have to spend several days in quarantine to compete. I wish them all the very best of luck and hope that by pressing ahead, we show in some small way that the musical world is open for business again.'

More information about the candidates can be found at https://donatellaflickcompetition.com/meet-the-competitors.