Talented young conductors

Estonian conductor Henri Christofer Aavik is the first prize winner of the German Conducting Award 2025, which took place in Cologne from 14 to 20 October. Second place went to Luis Toro Araya (Chile) and the third place was given to Friedrich Praetorius (Germany). Twelve international conductors were selected from 234 applicants to take part in the competition, working with the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne, the WDR Symphony Orchestra and singers from the Cologne Opera. The three finalists also each received a Bärenreiter Urtext Prize in the form of a voucher worth € 200.00 for sheet music from the publisher. The German Conducting Award is an international competition for young conductors organised by the German Music Council. (photos: WDR/Sirmin Kianmehr)