Tung-Chieh Chuang from Taiwan won the first prize of the winner of the 2015 Malko Competition held in Copenhagen on May 1. The competition is the world's largest international contest for young conductors.
HRH Prince Henrik, the patron of the competition, made the announcement and congratulated Chung and two other leading German contestants.
The jury selected 24 out of the 317 young contestants from around the world to compete in the four rounds of the competition, and Chuang and his two German rivals — David Niemann and Jesko Sirvend — advanced to the finals.
In the final round, Chuang conducted a symphony orchestra for the first movement of Brahms' Symphony No 1, and a selection from Carl Nielsen's comic opera Masquerade, impressing the jury and winning the competition.
Chuang was awarded €20,000 (US$22,400) and also has the chance to be mentored by jury president Sakari Oramo for the next three years.
The title also brings engagements with twenty-seven of the leading European orchestras, including the Stockholm Phiharmonic, the Oslo Philharmonic, and the Munich Philharmonic, and of course with the competition hosts, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra.
ROC President Ma Ying-jeou and Vice President Wu Den-yih both sent congratulatory message to Chuang.
Prior to the Malko Competition, Chuang had already shone in several international competitions such as the Mahler Competition (the second prize). Since winning 2nd prize and audience prize at the most recent Solti competition (1st prize not awarded), Chuang has attracted numerous worldwide engagements.
Chuang, one of few conductors from Asia to take part in the competition, told Danmarks Radio that he believes he has something different to offer because of his culture. "My experience of life is different, and so I can bring something special to the music," Chuang said.
The 32-year-old Chuang is studying at the prestigious Musikhochschule Weimar in Germany.
