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In 1990, Donatella Flick founded her Conducting Competition to offer much-needed support to young conductors at the start of their careers. She remains at the helm of the Competition working with a small team and in partnership with the London Symphony Orchestra to present the Competition every two years.
Donatella Flick became aware of the challenges faced by young conductors bridging the gap between conservatoire training and a professional career, the point at which many talented conductors falter or even abandon their conducting ambitions completely, and in 1990 she founded the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition to help address the issue. Thirty five years on and around 400 young conductors have taken part in 17 biennial Competitions in London and there have been 18 winners (in 2000, two conductors took the prize jointly). In 1996 a partnership with the London Symphony Orchestra began which has continued to grow ever since. The Finalists are lucky enough to conduct the LSO during the Competition, and the Orchestra has a collective vote as part of the judging panel.
The prize comprises a cash award from Donatella Flick of £15,000, and a one year tenure as Assistant Conductor at the London Symphony Orchestra. This unique prize, the result of the close collaboration developed by Donatella Flick with the LSO since 1996, offers unparalleled access to the Orchestra and its roster of conductors. They will have the opportunity to assist some of the world’s finest conductors including Sir Antonio Pappano, Sir Simon Rattle, Gianandrea Noseda, and Barbara Hanigan. There may also be opportunities to conduct the LSO in concert, on tour, and to work on education and learning projects, helping to lay the strongest of foundations for a successful conducting career.
Many of the Competition’s winners have developed excellent careers. In 2014, Elim Chan became the first woman to win the Competition and her star has been rising sharply ever since. In 2018 she became Principal Guest Conductor at the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. 2019 saw her BBC Proms debut with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and she was appointed Chief Conductor of the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra. Elim Chan opened the BBC Proms in 2024 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. In the 2024-25 season Elim Chan will guest conduct the Royal Concertgebouw Orkest, the Oslo Philharmonic and Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Wiener Symphoniker, ORF Radio- Symphonieorchester and the Deutsche Symphonie-Orchester Berlin as well as the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Utah Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the San Francisco Symphony.
Elim Chan was lucky enough to receive her prize in 2014 from the Competition’s Patron, the then-HRH The Prince of Wales, who attended with Donatella Flick.
Donatella Flick has always worked hard to ensure that the Competition benefits everyone who takes part, and not only the winners. She achieves this through carefully considered repertoire for each round, and by inviting conductors and musicians of the highest calibre to be on the jury, giving their time for free and bringing with them a wealth of experience and wisdom.
In 2018 the Competition broadened its reach through live-streaming and the production of an award-winning documentary. The Competition Final was streamed live for the first time, allowing a worldwide audience on Medici TV to experience the Competition at home, as well as the live public audience in the Barbican Hall. The public were also given access to the preliminary rounds for the first time. The maximum age for applicants was reduced from 35 to 30, to better target conductors just starting their professional careers and citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland were able to apply for the first time, as well as EU citizens and UK citizens.
In 2018 and 2021, Il sogno del podio, a major award-winning documentary about the Competition presented by Milly Carlucci, was produced by RAI TV, Italy’s national broadcaster.