The 2nd Hong Kong International Conducting Competition, organised by the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, concluded successfully on 26 March 2023 at the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall, with Venezuelan conductor Rodolfo Barráez, 29, taking the 1st Prize and Orchestra Prize.
Yao-Yu Wu, 33, from Taiwan secured the 2nd Prize, Audience Prize (Live Audience), and Best Interpretation of the New Commissioned Work; Mikhail Mering, 31, from Israel received the 3rd Prize; and Abner Padrino, 30, from Venezuela was awarded the Audience Prize (Online Audience).
Rodolfo Barráez, based in Berlin, is currently the Associate Conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and a Dudamel Conducting Fellow at the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Barráez took home HK$200,000 for the 1st Prize and HK$10,000 for the Orchestra Prize, along with concert engagements and mentorship opportunities.
The competition started on 22 March and featured two rounds spread over three days. The finalists conducted local composer Charles Kwong’s new work, ‘Infinity in the palm’, commissioned especially for the event.
The Hong Kong International Conducting Competition provides a platform for young conductors under 35 to establish a network in Asia.
