International Conducting Competition Rotterdam Hosts Career Development Weeks for Finalists

The six conductors, also called designate winners, will perform in the competition's finals from June 1–13, 2025

The International Conducting Competition Rotterdam (ICCR) selected six young conductors to participate in the 2025 event: Luis Castillo-Briceño, Yukuang Jin, Jakub Przybycień, Rodrigo Sámano, Miguel Sepúlveda and Sam Weller.

In between the Semi-Finals, which took place in June of this year, and the Finals in June 2025 the six finalists receive extensive career development. Included in this professional growth are three academy weeks offered to the selected conductors, or as ICCR likes to call them, designated winners.

In September, these designated winners convened in Amsterdam and Rotterdam for meetings with conductors Lahav Shani, Karina Canellakis, and Klaus Mäkelä and their respective orchestras: the Rotterdam Philharmonic, the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic and the Concertgebouw Orchestra. They also received coaching from Paul Hughes, Aimee Paret, Ronald Brautigam, Rob Hilberink, and Marc van der Heijde.

Most recently, the second academy week was hosted in Vienna — where the winners spent time with ensembles such as Klangforum Vienna and the Orchestra of 18^th Century. The conductors could see them both at work at the Kammer Oper, visit their studios and archives at the headquarters, and share experiences over lunch.

A trip to the Esterhazy Palace saw them meet the Orchestra of 18th Century for their rehearsals and performance with flutist Lucie Horsch and had an exclusive tour of the grounds.

In March 2025, they will return to Rotterdam for among others a meeting with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and media coaching by NPO Radio 4.

In June 2025, all six conductors will perform a mammoth program during the competition Finals — including five different concerts with the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra of 18^th 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.

A 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.

See the full compeititon schedule below:

• June 2, 2025 – Round 1 – ‘Classical’ – Orchestra of 18th Century & Ronald Brautigam
• June  4, 2025 – Round 2 – ‘Contemporary’ – Klangforum Vienna
• June 8, 2025 – Round 3 – ‘Proms’ – Sinfonia Rotterdam
• June 11, 2025 – Round 4 – ‘Opera’ – Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra & Laurens Symphony Chorus & Soloists
• June 13, 2025 – Round 5 – ‘Symphonic’ – Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra