The 16th Donatella Flick
Conducting Competition
21–23 May 2021, LSO St Luke’s, London
On 23 May 2021, 29-year-old Spanish conductor Julio García Vico won the 16th Donatella Flick Conducting Competition at London’s LSO St Luke’s.
He received a £15,000 cash prize from Donatella Flick and took up the position of Assistant Conductor at the London Symphony Orchestra for a year, giving him a unique opportunity to learn on the job with some of the world’s leading conductors and a world-class symphony orchestra.
Finalist Chloe Rooke in action on the podium during the 2021 Final round.
The runners up were Chloe Rooke, aged 24 from the UK and 25 year-old Belgian, Martijn Dendievel.
The concert opened with three performances of the Overture to Verdi’s Nabucco, each conducted by a different finalist, followed by Brahms’ Variations on the St Anthony’s Chorale and Dvorák’s Slavonic Dances Op72.
The Final was streamed live giving a worldwide audience the opportunity to experience the concert –for the first time there was no physical audience in either the preliminary rounds or at the Final due to Covid conditions.
Julio García Vico received his award from HRH the Duke of Kent, a long-standing supporter of the Competition, and Donatella Flick.
Winner 2021:
Julio García Vico, 29, Spain
Runners up:
Chloe Rooke, 24, UK
Martijn Dendievel, 25, Belgium
Jury 2021:
Lennox Mackenzie OBE Chairman of the Jury, violinist
David Alberman LSO Chairman and Principal 2nd Violin
Andrew Constantine conductor
Sian Edwards conductor
Rachel Gough LSO Principal Bassoon
Sir James MacMillan composer and conductor
Carlo Rizzi conductor