Applications Open for the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition 2025

The winner will receive £15,000 and will be appointed Assistant Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra

Founded in 1990, the UK's biennial Donatella Flick Conducting Competition offers significant opportunities to emerging orchestral conductors. Its winner will receive a cash prize of £15,000 and will have the opportunity to become an Assistant Conductor with the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) for up to one year.

The 2025 edition will take place from December 2 to 4 in London. To be eligible, conductors should be aged 30 or under on 4 December 2025 — and should be citizens of the UK, of countries having full membership of the European Union, or Norway, Iceland, Lichtenstein, or Switzerland.

From the initial application stage, 20 conductors will be selected to take part in the live rounds, which will feature members of the LSO. Ten will proceed to Round 2, and then three are selected for the Final Round.

The only competition repertoire that has so far been announced is that for the Final Round. These conductors will lead Verdi's Overture to I Vespri Siciliani, Brahms's Symphony No. 2 (movements 1, 2, and 4), and Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade (Nos 1, 2, and 4).

To apply, conductors should submit a video recording of no shorter than 15 minutes. This should contain at least three contrasting pieces, with at least one of these demonstrating both the beginning and the end of a work.

In 2025, the competition jury will comprise Sir Antonio Pappano (Chair, LSO Chief Conductor), Sarah Quinn, Kirill Karabits, Sian Edwards, James MacMillan, and Rachel Gough.

Applications must be received by Thursday, April 3, 2025. You can apply here.