Prizewinners Announced at the Plovdiv Opera Conducting Competition

South Korean conductor Deun Lee was named the overall winner

The Plovdiv Opera Conducting Competition, which is held at the Boris Christoff State Opera in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, has recently come to a close. More than 120 young conductors applied to participate in the live rounds of the competition.

The South Korean conductor Deun Lee was pronounced the overall winner of the competition. In second place was Matteo Castelli, while Peter Tuleshkov took third — and also received the Orchestra Prize and the People's Choice Award.

Deun Lee graduated with honors from the Verdi Conservatory in Milan, where he studied conducting, voice, and piano. He also holds a master's degree from the Mannes School of Music in New York.

Lee has been successful in a number of other conducting competitions, including winning First Prize at the Luigi Mancinelli International Competition for Opera Conductors and First Prize at the BMI International Conducting Competition.

The jury comprised Antonello Allemandi (President), Dian Tchobanov, Abzal Muhitdin, Andrea Vitello, Federica Repini, and Grigor Palikarov.

"Competitions can be one of the useful methods to evaluate your current level, have experiences with new orchestras or new environments and furthermore to have the opportunity to enrich in every aspect," Deun Lee said of his experience in Plovdiv.