Tilda Publishing
THE PATH TO OLYMPUS
By Victor Alexandrov
The final round of the Second International Conducting Competition for Symphony Orchestra Conductors has concluded in Moscow.
The competition was established by Limited Liability Company Capital Symphony Orchestra and its Chief Executive Officer, Vladimir Gorbik, a member of the International Union of Music Professionals.
Partners and sponsors include:
The Jury Chair is Maestro Vladimir Gorbik —
Nominee for the 61st GRAMMY® Awards (2019),
Member of the GRAMMY® Academy Jury since 2019,
and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Symphony and Choral Conducting, Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory.
Works performed by the contestants were presented by Capital Symphony Orchestra at multiple venues in Moscow, including the Irina Arkhipova Concert Hall. Maestro Vladimir Gorbik, the orchestra’s Music Director, annually provides young conductors with this opportunity.
An international jury panel participated in the evaluation. The panel comprised:
Several dozen conductors participated in the competition. Each demonstrated a profound commitment to music and the profession. In rehearsals and performances with the orchestra, the contestants displayed strong adaptability and technical command, adjusting with precision to the competition’s conditions. Their interpretations revealed individual artistic voices and a focused approach to mastering symphonic scores.
On the origins of the project, Maestro Vladimir Gorbik shared his vision:
“The idea for the International Conducting Competition emerged two years ago. Given the breadth of my international activities over the years, I felt it would be irresponsible not to leverage the professional connections and creative potential I have cultivated across
continents — in religion, musical performance, education, and business — to create an initiative that brings together people, musicians, conductors, and audiences.
For talented young conductors, the path to the major stage is exceptionally difficult. It is a demanding journey, and many are unable to sustain it and leave the profession. My vision to establish Capital Symphony Orchestra in Moscow and New York City in 2017 has been realized. I am pleased that the current conditions, grounded in the orchestra’s foundation and its intensive concert activity, are well suited to support this work.
Each month, we conduct our established masterclasses ‘Orchestral Practice for Beginning Conductors’, produce audio and video recordings on leading online platforms, and publish reviews in the international press. This enables Limited Liability Company Capital Symphony Orchestra to organize the International Conducting Competition. This has been made possible thanks to the support of like‑minded colleagues and friends from different continents, including my student Alena Plavsic, Chief Executive Officer of Music of the Continents Concert Agency in Kansas (USA), and Aaron Seth Hanisch, also my student, a conductor and Chief Executive Officer of the same concert agency in New York City.
We are also supported by colleagues—symphonic conductors and professors from conservatories and universities worldwide—and, of course, by my patron friends. Together, they form a dedicated team advancing this musical and performing initiative, which the Second International Conducting Competition has become.”
Following the jury’s evaluation of the final round, the laureates were announced:
By Victor Alexandrov
The final round of the Second International Conducting Competition for Symphony Orchestra Conductors has concluded in Moscow.
The competition was established by Limited Liability Company Capital Symphony Orchestra and its Chief Executive Officer, Vladimir Gorbik, a member of the International Union of Music Professionals.
Partners and sponsors include:
- West Virginia State Philharmonic Orchestra under Scott Woodard;
- Music of the Continents Concert Agency (New York City and Kansas);
- The International Conductors’ Guild (USA); Higher education institutions across continents:
- Nazareth University (Rochester, New York),
- Sydney Conservatorium of Music (Australia),
- The State Conservatory of Uzbekistan, and
- Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory.
The Jury Chair is Maestro Vladimir Gorbik —
Nominee for the 61st GRAMMY® Awards (2019),
Member of the GRAMMY® Academy Jury since 2019,
and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Symphony and Choral Conducting, Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory.
Works performed by the contestants were presented by Capital Symphony Orchestra at multiple venues in Moscow, including the Irina Arkhipova Concert Hall. Maestro Vladimir Gorbik, the orchestra’s Music Director, annually provides young conductors with this opportunity.
An international jury panel participated in the evaluation. The panel comprised:
- Professor Alexey Rudnevsky, Dean, Faculty of Symphony and Choral Conducting, the Tchaikovsky Moscow State Conservatory;
- Scott Woodard, Member of the Board, International Conductors’ Guild (USA), and Music Director, West Virginia State Philharmonic Orchestra (USA);
- Raul Munguia, Professor, Nazareth University (USA), and Music Director, University Symphony Orchestra;
- Ottavio Terreni (Italy), Music Director, Virtuosi of Florence;
- Natalia Raspopova (Australia), Music Director, Sydney Youth Christian Symphony Orchestra;
- Benjamin Northy (Australia), Professor, Sydney Conservatorium of Music;
- Gayrat Abrarov (Uzbekistan), Associate Professor and Head of the Opera and Symphony Conducting Department, the State Conservatory of Uzbekistan;
- Dusan Urosevic (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Music Director, Symphony Orchestra of the National Theatre of the Republika Srpska;
- Philip Cunha (Portugal), Music Director, Braga Philharmonic Orchestra. Under the batons of participating conductors from the USA, Russia, and Israel, the Capital Symphony Orchestra performed: Mozart: Symphony No. 40 and Symphony No. 41 (“Jupiter”); Schubert: Symphony No. 5; Beethoven: Symphony No. 7; Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 6 (“Pathétique”).
Several dozen conductors participated in the competition. Each demonstrated a profound commitment to music and the profession. In rehearsals and performances with the orchestra, the contestants displayed strong adaptability and technical command, adjusting with precision to the competition’s conditions. Their interpretations revealed individual artistic voices and a focused approach to mastering symphonic scores.
On the origins of the project, Maestro Vladimir Gorbik shared his vision:
“The idea for the International Conducting Competition emerged two years ago. Given the breadth of my international activities over the years, I felt it would be irresponsible not to leverage the professional connections and creative potential I have cultivated across
continents — in religion, musical performance, education, and business — to create an initiative that brings together people, musicians, conductors, and audiences.
For talented young conductors, the path to the major stage is exceptionally difficult. It is a demanding journey, and many are unable to sustain it and leave the profession. My vision to establish Capital Symphony Orchestra in Moscow and New York City in 2017 has been realized. I am pleased that the current conditions, grounded in the orchestra’s foundation and its intensive concert activity, are well suited to support this work.
Each month, we conduct our established masterclasses ‘Orchestral Practice for Beginning Conductors’, produce audio and video recordings on leading online platforms, and publish reviews in the international press. This enables Limited Liability Company Capital Symphony Orchestra to organize the International Conducting Competition. This has been made possible thanks to the support of like‑minded colleagues and friends from different continents, including my student Alena Plavsic, Chief Executive Officer of Music of the Continents Concert Agency in Kansas (USA), and Aaron Seth Hanisch, also my student, a conductor and Chief Executive Officer of the same concert agency in New York City.
We are also supported by colleagues—symphonic conductors and professors from conservatories and universities worldwide—and, of course, by my patron friends. Together, they form a dedicated team advancing this musical and performing initiative, which the Second International Conducting Competition has become.”
Following the jury’s evaluation of the final round, the laureates were announced:
- I Prize Laureate — Aleksandr Bogdanovich (Russia);
- II Prize Laureate — Olga Piskareva (Russia);
- III Prize Laureate — Valeriya Voskresenskaya (Israel).
- Grand Prix, First Class — Dax Anthony Stokes (United States);
- Grand Prix, Second Class — Daniil Krylov (Russia);
- Grand Prix, Third Class — Anastasia Kozlova (Russia).