
Conductors' Competition Winner announced
07 February 2010
The first Len van Zyl Conductors' Competition has been won by Brandon Phillips. Second was Nicholas Nicolaidis and third was Hanrich Claassen.
The winner was announced at the end of the Finalists' Gala Concert in the City Hall on Sunday 7 February.
For more about the competition, click here
The top three finalists each conducted an orchestral work - (Nicholas Nicholaidis conducted DvoĆák's Scherzo Capriccioso, Brandon Phillips Smetana's The Moldau and Hanrich Claassen Liszt's Les Preludes). Thereafter, each conducted one of the three movements of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2. with Megan-Geoffrey Prins as soloist.
Although bassoon is his main instrument, Brandon Phillips is a multi-instrumentalist. He hails from Cape Town and started his musical training in the New Apostolic Church. He furthered his instrumental tuition at the Beau Soleil Music Centre and has completed the Diploma in Orchestra Studies and his Honours degree in solo performance at UCT. He is currently Principal Bassoonist of the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra. Brandon has received conductors’ master classes from Victor Yampolsky since 2005.
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