London's Askonas Holt Agency Signs Conductor Joel Sandelson

An emerging conductor, 27-year-old Sandelson was yet to sign with an agency

Sandelson, who has recently completed two years as Assistant Conductor to Thomas Dausgaard at the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, is also the Leverhulme Conducting Fellow at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

Most recently, he was the 2021 recipient of the Salzburg Festival's Herbert von Karajan Young Conductors Award; he is also the Winner Designate of the Rotterdam Conducting Competition. In addition to these competition successes, Sandelson also founded a period-instrument group called Wond’rous Machine.

At Askonas Holt, Sandelson will be managed by Terry Shew, the agency's Associate Director. The agency represents a number of prominent conductors, such as Daniel Barenboim, Thomas Adès, and Edward Gardner.

"I have been following Joel for quite some time," Shew said. "From the first time I saw him conduct, I was very much taken by his engaging command on the podium and dynamic musicianship. His recent success in Salzburg is of course a wonderful achievement and I look forward to working with him and seeing his huge talent develop over the coming years."