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August 29 – September 19, 2004
Two first prizes, one second prize –
More than 200 applicants from 45 countries
The initiators of the 2nd International Conductors’
Competition Sir Georg Solti were very satisfied: more
than 200 young conductors from 45 countries have applied
to participate in the musical competition scheduled
to take place every two years. 24 participants were
chosen during an initial selection procedure for the
first two preliminary rounds (closed to the public)
being held August 29 to September 1, 2004 with the State
Philharmonic Orchestra Rhineland-Palatinate.
During the second round of the competition, in which
12 candidates participated, three finalists were determined.
In a concluding concert on September 19, 2004 in the
Alte Oper Frankfurt, the finalists were judged by a
jury under the chairmanship of Christoph von Dohnányi,
Chief Conductor of the NDR Symphony Orchestra, Hamburg,
and former Musical Director of the Frankfurt Opera.
The American James Gaffigan (25) and the Bulgarian
Ivo Venkov (35) both won first prizes in the 2nd International
Conductors’ Competition Sir Georg Solti. Second
prize was awarded to the Swede Johannes Gustavsson (29).
At the final concert the three finalists conducted the
Frankfurter Museumsorchester (orchestra of the Frankfurt
Opera), performing the following pieces of music: James
Gaffigan “Till Eulenspiegel” by Richard
Strauss, Ivo Venkov “La Mer” by Claude Debussy
and Johannes Gustavsson “Dance Suite” by
Béla Bartók.
Whereas for the First International Conductors’
Competition Sir Georg Solti in 2002 there was no first
prize winner, the jury this year decided to award two
first prizes. In announcing the decision, the chairman
of the jury Christoph von Dohnányi said the jury
finds it difficult to look accurately into the future.
Rather, it checks whether the candidates have achieved
what they set out to do. “And here the two first
prize winners are equal.” “All three,”
according to von Dohnányi, “will have a
good career and a lot of pleasure in music.”
Both 1st prize winners were awarded with € 15,000
in prize money and permitted to conduct a double concert
with the Frankfurter Museumsorchester once again in
the Alte Oper Frankfurt at a later date. The 2nd prize
winner received € 10,000. The prize money has been
donated by the Cultural Foundation of Deutsche Bank.
James Gaffigan (25) received his conductor’s
training at the American Academy of Conducting, the
Aspen Music Festival and School and the Tanglewood Music
Center. Here, he was able to work together with conductors
such as Kurt Masur and Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos
before he received his undergraduate and graduate degrees
in conducting from the New England Conservatory and
Rice University in Houston. His debut with the Cleveland
Orchestra was at the Blossom Music Festival, and a short
time later, he was appointed its Assistant Conductor.
Concurrently, he became the Music Director of the Cleveland
Orchestra Youth Orchestra. Gaffigan has already worked
in assisting roles with the Boston Symphony Orchestra,
the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Houston Symphony
Orchestra.
Ivo Venkov (35), born in Bulgaria,
now lives and works in Belgium. His musical education
began at the age of four, at seven he gave his first
concert. Already while studying at the State Academy
of Music and the Performing Arts in Sofia, Venkov had
an engagement as the First Concert Director at the Varna
State Opera. Additional studies in conducting in Austria
led to his numerous appearances with various orchestras
in Europe and Asia before he was appointed Chief Conductor
of the “Jeugd & Muziek van Antwerpen”
(Youth and Music Orchestra of Antwerp). Only four months
ago, Venkov won second prize in the first Bamberger
Symphoniker Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition.
The Swedish conductor and violist Johannes
Gustavsson (29) studied at the Norwegian State
Academy of Music with Lars-Anders Tomter, Ole-Kristian
Ruud and Olav-Anton Thomessen and attended masters’
classes with Simon Steatfeild and Jorma Panula. Besides
his work as a conductor, Gustavsson is an orchestra
musician with the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra. His previous
engagements as conductor have included the symphony
orchestras of Helsingborg and Norrköpping, the
Oslo Philharmonic and the Norwegian Radio Symphony Orchestra.
In 2003, Gustavsson won first place in the Swedish Conductors’
Competition.
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