More than a competition
After last seeing each other in Vienna in November 2024, the six conductors reconvened in The Netherlands for their final academy week. First on the programme was a visit to the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and its chief conductor Karina Canellakis, where they joined the rehearsals of Janacek’s rarely performed opera “From the house of the dead”, getting great insights from her on how she worked on presenting her Janecek opera cycle at The Concertgebouw. Secondly they had meetings and the Dutch National Opera with director Sophie de Lint and conductor Bassem Akiki, followed by attending the new opera ‘We are the lucky ones” by Philip Venables.
Other activities included co-hosting NTR PODIUM on NPO KLASSIEK RADIO for two consecutive days and a working session with composer Mathilde Wantenaar on ‘A portrait of six conductors’, which she composed especially with and for the conductors, interweaving six personal themes into an intricate set of variations. This work will be premiered (six times) on June 4th by Klangforum Vienna.
Also on the programme were photoshoots and various workshops, including interview training with Hans Haffmans, contract and negotiations by Aimee Paret, the orchestra of tomorrow by André Heuvelman and Ron van Gils.
As a more jolly side activity, the six conductors toke part in a cooking masterclass with renowned Dutch chef Sieberen Meerema, and prepared a six course meal for a number of guests.
The week concluded with a Q&A with no other than Yannick Nézet-Seguin and sitting in for his rehearsals and performance with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra of Bruckner’s 3rd Symphony. Observing the qualities of the orchestra with which they will be working themselves in two months’ time.
See them in action
All six conductors will perform a mammoth programme during the Finales in June 2025. Here they will work during public rehearsals and five different concerts with various orchestras: the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra of 18th Century, Klangforum Vienna, Sinfonia Rotterdam and Laurens Symphony Chorus, as well as renowned pianist Ronald Brautigam and singers Madison Horman, Irene Hoogveld, Oleh Lebedyev and Michael Mensah. An impressive panel consisting of 30 well-known conductors, arts administrators and composers including Iván Fischer, Deborah Borda, Brett Dean, Christina Pluhar, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Han-na Chang and Eric Whitacre, will eventually determine the Grand Prix winner.
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