Italian conductor Leonardo Sini (R) receives the first prize of the Maestro Solti International Conducting Competition in Pecs, southwest Hungary, Dec. 16, 2017. Azis Sadikovic from Austria and Nimrod David Pfeffer from Israel won the second and third prizes. Audience's prize went to Hungarian Peter Dobszay. The Maestro Solti International Conducting Competition is named after Sir George Solti, conductor, pianist and music director who represents the highest standards of performing art. (Xinhua/Attila Volgyi)
PECS, Hungary, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Italian conductor Leonardo Sini won the first place of the Maestro Solti International Conducting Competition, held here on Saturday, before Azis Sadikovic from Austria and Nimrod David Pfeffer from Israel, whereas the audience's prize went to Hungarian Peter Dobszay.
The world-class concert hall, Kodaly Center in Pecs where the finalists have conducted the Pannon Philharmonic Orchestra, hosted the final.
Leonardo Sini began his musical studies at the Conservatory of Music "L. Canepa" in Sassari. In 2013 he gained his Masters degree in trumpet at the Royal Academy of Music in London where he also commenced his studies in conducting with Sian Edwards.
Leonardo has received important prizes in several international music competitions and performed with numerous ensembles. He is the founder and Principal Conductor of the Armonia Chamber Orchestra with whom he performed in different concerts in London and in Italy.
The Austrian conductor Azis Sadikovic is the winner of the 1st prize and the Caixa-General special prize at the Concurso Jovens Maestros 2013 and the winner of the 3rd prize and the bronze baton at the renowned Fitelberg International Conducting Competition 2012.
Israeli-born conductor Nimrod David Pfeffer serves as assistant conductor at The Metropolitan Opera in New York City, and as music director of the Lyric Opera Company of Guatemala. At The Lyric Opera Company of Guatemala, which he Co-Founded in 2016, he commissioned and performed nationally televised original productions of Rigoletto and L'Elisir d'Amore.
Born in 1990, Peter Dobszay is considered the most versatile musician today at the Hungarian music scene. He makes concert tours worldwide.
A total of 186 conductors from 40 countries of the world -- from China through Russia to America -- applied for the competition organized by Filharmonia Hungary. After the pre-selection, forty of them entered the semifinal.
The 35,000-euro prize has awarded by a prestigious international jury for the best conductors.
The Maestro Solti International Conducting Competition is named after Sir George Solti conductor, pianist and music director who represents the highest standards of performing art.
Sir Solti has earned imperishable merits in growing popularity of exquisite Hungarian composers such as Bela Bartok, Zoltan Kodaly, Erno Dohnanyi and Leo Weiner.
