Gergely Madaras, 26, received a flute degree from the Liszt Academy of Music and studied to become a conductor at Vienna?s University of Music and Performing Arts. He has assisted the conductors James Levine, Herbert Blomstedt and Stefan Asbury, and has conducted orchestras in Austria, Switzerland, Germany, France, Russia and the United States, as well as Hungary.
Madaras was awarded an Artisjus prize in 2006 in recognition of his outstanding interpretations of contemporary music.
Madaras established the Budapest Youth Symphony Orchestra with Noémi Győri in 2001 and was head conductor of the orchestra until 2005.
The 30-year-old Japanese conductor Yuki Kakiuchi took the top prize at the International Competition for Young Conductors together with a 12,000 euro purse. In third place was the only female in the contest, the 33-year-old Stamatia Karampini from Greece.
The jury took their final decision based on the contestants? conducting of performances of Saint-Saens? Piano Concerto Op. 22, Strauss?s Don Juan and Michael Jarrell?s World First For Orchestra, a piece composed especially for the competition.
This year 137 conductors under the age of 35 from 42 countries participated in the competition, the 52nd.
On the jury were Sir Andrew Davis, music director of the Lyric opera of Chicago; the composer Michael Jarrell; Anne Midgette, classical music critic for The Washington Post; David Pickard, General Director of the Glyndebourne Festival;Michel Tabachnik, music director of the Brussels Philharmonic; Fabrizio Ventura, music director of the Münster Opera and Symphony Orchestra; and Paul Watkins, music director of the English chamber Orchestra.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI)
