This is a Chinese language programme without subtitles.

Fifteen young conductors from across China took part this week in the second Young Conductors’ Conference, an intensive training and competition programme hosted by the Shenzhen School of Music at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, with rehearsals held at the Guangxi Concert Hall in the southern city of Nanning.

Over two days of public sessions open to ticket holders on Jan. 18–19, the candidates each worked with the Guangxi Symphony Orchestra in 27-minute rehearsal slots, conducting excerpts from Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, Brahms’ Symphony No. 3, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 and Copland’s Appalachian Spring. The format combined elements of a competition, forum, masterclass and public workshop, an approach organisers say is rare on the Chinese mainland.

Violinist Liu Fanglei, associate professor at the Tianjin Conservatory of Music, served as soloist for the opening round, performing excerpts from Sibelius’ concerto 15 times with 15 candidates. She said the experience underscored both the depth of the score and the contrasting approaches of the participants.

“Even after playing it so many times, I still felt there was something new to discover,” Liu said, noting that differences in orchestration balance, harmony and pacing emerged with each conductor. She added that some candidates chose to follow the soloist closely, while others imposed a more individual interpretation, a contrast she described as revealing in a competition setting.

At the end of the sessions, five conductors were selected to advance to the final round: Xu Leyuan, Xing Hao, Fan Muhan, Chen Hongjun and Xin Muchong. They will conduct the Guangxi Symphony Orchestra at the conference’s closing concert on Jan. 21, with violinist He Shuchong appearing as soloist.

Two awards will be announced after the concert: a Best Conductor prize selected by the jury from the five finalists, and an Orchestra Award chosen by the musicians from all 15 candidates.

The jury comprised conductors and educators Liu Ming, Yang Youqing, Zhou Jin, Liu Yu, Song Jie and Deng Zhuorui. Of the five finalists, two are students at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing and three study at the CUHK Shenzhen School of Music. Xu Leyuan had previously attracted attention for advancing in the Tokyo International Conducting Competition in 2024.

In a gesture of respect for local culture, both soloists wore scarves featuring traditional Zhuang ethnic patterns during rehearsals, adding a regional touch to the proceedings.

Observers have likened the conference to international schemes such as the Salzburg Young Conductors Award. China has held few nationwide conducting competitions in recent decades; the last was the Li Delun National Conducting Competition in 2012. In Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta runs an international conducting competition, while the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra hosts a separate event for Chinese-music conductors.

Organisers said the Nanning conference aims to fill a gap by providing sustained exposure, professional feedback and performance opportunities for emerging conductors at a critical stage of their careers.

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