The British conductor Matthew Rhodes (27) is the winner of this year's Prinsesse Astrid International Music Competition. This year it was conductors who competed for the prize, and the final was held in Olavshallen, organised by Trondheim Symfoniorkester & Opera.
In the final, Rhodes competed against Agata Zając (31) from Poland and Elias Brown (31) from the USA. The three were selected from among 270 applicants to take part in the final, in which they conducted Trondheim Symfoniorkester in works by Mozart, Margaret Brouwer and Brahms.
As the winner, Rhodes receives NOK 200 000, a conducting engagement with Trondheim Symfoniorkester and a mentoring programme with chief conductor Adam Hickox.
The jury consisted of Oksana Lyniv (chair of the jury), Martyn Brabbins, Margaret Brouwer, Simon Rössler, Julia Neher, Håvard Gimse and Mei-Ann Chen.
This year marks 70 years since Princess Astrid first took on the role of the competition's high patron - in 1956, when Arve Tellefsen won.
Best Norwegian candidate
Ingunn Korsgård Hagen was the best Norwegian participant in this year's competition. She was among the 6 best candidates, and thereby received the Finn Audun Oftedal scholarship of NOK 10 000.
Hagen has made her mark as a promising Norwegian conducting talent, with collaborations with, among others, Bergen Filharmoniske Orkester, Kungliga Filharmonikerna in Stockholm, Islands symfoniorkester and Trondheim Symfoniorkester. She has been assistant conductor of Bergen Filharmoniske Orkester (2023-2025), and will soon make her debut with both Oslo-Filharmonien and Semperoper Dresden.
