Chinese conductor Yukuang Jin and Greek conductor Myrto Gkekou were the winners of the sixth Conductors’ Academy of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, led by Music Director Paavo Järvi last week.
Järvi selected six young conductors from five countries from a field of 422 applicants. The finalists, aged between 21 and 30, took part in the Academy as part of their professional development toward international conducting careers.
At the Academy’s final concert, Jin was awarded the prestigious Paavo Järvi Scholarship, earning the opportunity to attend the Järvi Academy at the 2027 Pärnu Music Festival. Jin is currently principal conductor of the Sichuan Philharmonic Orchestra and a recent prize winner at the Second International Conducting Competition Rotterdam.
Gkekou, who is pursuing a master’s degree in orchestral conducting at the Mozarteum Universität Salzburg, won the Audience Prize through an international public vote. The award includes CHF 1,000, supported by the Freundeskreis Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich.
The next Conductors’ Academy will take place in Zurich this August, while the 2024 winner Gabriel Pernet is set to join the Järvi Academy in July.
More info about the Conductors’ Academy on www.tonhalle-orchester.ch