Alexandre Bloch wins Donatella Flick Conducting Competition

1 October 2012, 10:48 | Updated: 1 October 2012, 10:50

After preliminary rounds held at the Guildhall School in London, the French conductor was awarded first place on the podium at the Barbican last night.

Alexandre Bloch was crowned the winner of the Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition last night, at London’s Barbican Centre. He was awarded a contract as the assistant conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, and a £15,000 prize.

The three finalists, Alexandre Bloch, Ben Gernon and Stamatia Karampini, were judged by a team of internationally renowned musicians: Sir Antonio Pappano, Mauro Bucarelli, Nikolaj Znaider, Imogen Cooper, Lennox Mackenzie, Christine Pendrill and Andrew Marriner. The concert included Debussy’s La Mer, Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet Suite and each candidate conducted the London Symphony Orchestra in Weber’s Overture to Der Freischütz.

The competition, held from 28-30 September was open to conductors under 35 from the European Union. It was launched in 1990 by Donatella Flick, and the partnership with the London Symphony Orchestra was established in 1996.

Listen out for Classic FM’s broadcast of the final in the Full Works Concert on 15 October.