They represent Germany, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Poland, Israel, the Netherlands, Canada, and Finland.
They were selected by an international jury from among 44 first-stage contestants.
In the second stage, on Wednesday and Thursday, they will conduct the Silesian Symphony Orchestra in two works: a romantic piece (Brahms’s Fourth Symphony, Dvořák’s Symphony from the New World or Elgar’s Enigma Variations) and an instrumental concerto (Dvořák’s Cello Concerto, Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto No. 2 or Henryk Mikołaj Górecki’s Concerto-Cantata for flute and orchestra).
Poland’s only second-stage contestant, Joanna Natalia Ślusarczyk, is a graduate of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice. Last year, she won Second Prize at the La Maestra Conducting Competition in Paris.
The prizewinners will be announced on November 24.
The winner will receive EUR 20,000 in prize money and a host of invitations to work with Polish and foreign orchestras.
Founded in 1979, and named after the prominent Polish conductor and composer Grzegorz Fitelberg, who died 70 years ago, the event is one of the world’s most prestigious competitions for conductors. It is a member of the Geneva-based International Federation of Music Competitions.
(mk/gs)