Winners Announced at 2022 Rotterdam International Conducting Competition

The Rotterdam International Conducting Competition concluded its 2022 edition today. At the award ceremony, the Grand Prize and €15,000 was awarded to Bertie Baigent while the audience award went to Chilean conductor Luis Toro Araya.

There were also winners for each of the rounds of the competition:

• Proms Round Award: Martijn Dendievel (Belgium)
• Contemporary Round Award: Chloe Rooke (United Kingdom)
• Classical Round Round: Bertie Baigent (United Kingdom)
• Opera Round: Luis Toro Araya (Chile)
• Symphony Round: Bertie Baigent (United Kingdom)

The final rounds of the competition featured each designate winner conducting the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Rotterdam Symphony Chorus, Sinfonia Rotterdam, Doelen Ensemble, and the Orchestra of the 18th Century.

The new format, which lasted two years, allowed the young conductors the chance to work with numerous orchestras and test all ranges, specialties, genres, and styles.

Each round consisted of rehearsals and a final concert performance, both of which were judged by the jury and open to the public.

"ICCR has been over 6 years in the making," Event Executive Director Rob Hilberink told The Violin Channel. "It sparked from the notion that very few high-level opportunities for young conductors existed worldwide."

"As a young conductor there are very few opportunities to perform on ‘your instrument’, and seldom do you have the chance to work with a high-level orchestra and even then, never does this happen in front of so many influential people from all around the world," he said.

"It is both a fantastic learning experience and a showcase at the same time."

The competition had separate juries for each round. They are to include: Michel van der Aa, Giordino Bellincampi, Anja Bihlmaier, Deborah Borda, Karina Canelakkis, Jonathan Darlington, Sian Edwards, Jane Glover, Ara Guzelimian, Antony Hermus, Ton Koopman, Sophie de Lint, Sir James MacMillan, Wayne Marshall, Kenneth Montgomery, Franck Ollu, Lahav Shani, Ed Spanjaard, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Maxim Vengerov, Benjamin Wallfisch, George Wiegel, Joshua Weilerstein, Elmar Weingarten, John Wilson, and Yip Wing Sie.

As the competition’s official international media and broadcast partner, the Violin Channel streamed directly from Rotterdam. You can watch the competition here.