13 competitions, 13 wins
Weimar student successful at conducting competition with the MDR Symphony Orchestra
The MDR Symphony Orchestra, together with the three Central German Music universities in Leipzig, Dresden and Weimar, has organised a conducting competition for the thirteenth time. At the competition in Leipzig in mid-January, a student from the ‘Weimar conductor's forge’ was successful for the thirteenth time in a row. The first prize was won by Drummado Wijnhamer, a master's student in the conducting class of Prof. Ekhart Wycik and Johannes Klumpp at the University of Music FRANZ LISZT Weimar.
Second prize was won by Demian Ewig, a conducting student at the University of Music in Leipzig. Third prize went to Dionysos Pantis from the Dresden Music university. The winners will conduct a concert with the MDR Symphony Orchestra in Leipzig on 14 March 2025. The vote was cast by a jury of conducting professors from the participating music universities and members of the MDR Symphony Orchestra, based on two days of judging in the rehearsal hall at Augustusplatz in Leipzig.
‘Two days of working with an orchestra of such quality on four different works is a great opportunity,’ says Drummado Wijnhamer of his success. “He did an excellent job of giving each piece its own characteristics and colour,” adds his Weimar conducting professor Ekhart Wycik, who was also on the jury.
‘Drummado Wijnhamer particularly impressed with his non-verbal communication and efficient rehearsal work. Thanks to the integrated Weimar training model, he was able to use the input of two teachers at once to achieve an independent and highly professional performance.’
Before coming to Weimar to study, the 25-year-old Dutchman Drummado Wijnhamer studied violin and orchestral conducting at the conservatoires in The Hague and Amsterdam. As a guest conductor, assistant or student, he has already conducted well-known orchestras such as the Rotterdam Philharmonic, the Belgian National Orchestra (assistant to Antony Hermus), the Hofer Symphoniker and the Karlovy Vary Symphony Orchestra.
Drummado has also worked with the Dutch National Opera Academy several times, conducting concertante opera excerpts. His debut with the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest in Hilversum (Netherlands) will follow in February 2025.
[13 January 2025]