Second-Place Winner
Drummado Wijnhamer Wins the International Solti Conducting Competition in Budapest
Once again, a graduate of the “Weimar Conductors’ Academy” has achieved success. Out of nearly 400 applicants, Drummado Wijnhamer emerged as the winner in the finals of the International Solti Conducting Competition in Budapest. Although the jury, chaired by Pinchas Steinberg, did not award the 1st Prize, the graduate of the conducting class taught by Prof. Gregor Bühl and Prof. Ekhart Wycik at the FRANZ LISZT University of Music in Weimar prevailed among the four finalists and won the 2nd Prize, worth 12,000 euros, as well as additional special prizes. Yu-Te Wu from Taiwan won third prize.
In the final concert at the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall in the Palace of Arts “Müpa Budapest,” Drummado Wijnhamer conducted the Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra in works by Paul Dukas and Zoltán Kodály. After the gala concert and the announcement of the winners, Wijnhamer said he was “incredibly happy and grateful.” He highlighted the very special experiences and “the wonderful moments” he took away from the ten-day competition in Budapest, which is named after the Hungarian conductor Georg Solti (1912–1997).
Wijnhamer had just completed his master’s exam at the Weimar Music University shortly before participating in the competition: “A heartfelt thank you to my teachers, who not only guided me through my studies but also helped me get to where I am today and who continue to support me!”
A native of the Netherlands, Drummado Wijnhamer initially studied orchestral conducting at the Amsterdam Conservatory under Ed Spanjaard, Antony Hermus, Bas Wiegers, and Karel Desure. From 2024 to 2026, he then completed his master’s degree at the FRANZ LISZT University of Music in Weimar under Prof. Ekhart Wycik, Johannes Klumpp, and Prof. Gregor Bühl.
He has already won first prize at the Conducting Competition of Central German Music Universities, third prize at the CAMPUS Competition, and the Dutch Kersjes Conducting Prize; he was a semifinalist at the Besançon International Competition and is a scholarship recipient of the “Forum Dirigieren” program of the German Music Council. Among the orchestras Drummado Wijnhamer has conducted are the MDR Symphony Orchestra, the Dresden Philharmonic, the Netherlands Radio Orchestra, the Neue Philharmonie Westfalen, the Staatskapelle Weimar, the Jena Philharmonic, and the Hof Symphony Orchestra.
[12 October, 2026]