MÁV Symphony Orchestra's concert with the winner of the Tokyo International Music Competition for Conducting

In recent years, there have been a significant increase in the number of international music competitions, which provide a great opportunity for young musicians to debut on the international stage, yet jeopardise the general quality of these challenges. Nevertheless, there are some long-established competitions that preserve their rank even in new circumstances. One of these is the Tokyo International Music Competition for Conducting, which takes place every three years. It was first organised in 1967, and was held for the nineteenth time in 2021.

A few curiosities from previous competitions. In 1970, Kobayashi Ken-Ichiro was a finalist, but he did not receive an award. In 1974, with his victory at the Ferencsik János International Conductor Competition in Budapest, he suddenly entered the forefront of global conductors. In 1988, Aleksandr Titov, who later became leading conductor on the side of Valery Gergiev in Saint Petersburg, won second prize. In 2015, the Japanese Ota Gen, who, among others, was taught by Péter Csaba and László Tihanyi, won second prize.

In 2021, in this highly prestigious competition, the 23-year-old Brazilian conductor, José Soares, won first prize. He was born in Săo Paulo, and was initially taught by his musician mother. He started to learn conducting from Claudio Cruz, the music director of the Youth Orchestra of the State of Săo Paulo, and he continued his studies at the Campos de Jordăo International Festival in the winter of 2016–2017. He won the grand prize of the festival, and therefore was invited to become the assistant conductor of the Săo Paulo National Symphony Orchestra. He continued his journey in Estonia, at the Pärnu Music Festival, mastering the profession under the leadership of Neeme Järvi, Paavo Järvi and Kristjan Järvi.

In 2019, following his major success achieved at the Conducting Academy of Minas Gerais (the fourth biggest and second most populous federal state of Brasil, the capital city of which is Belo Horizonte), he was invited to a concert, and in 2020, he became the chief conductor of the Minas Gerais State Orchestra. Besides, he is still pursuing his studies at the University of Săo Paulo, at the Department of Music.

The soloist of the concert was born in the Czech Republic, but has been living in Denmark for a long time. The cellist Michaela Fukačová played the piano as a child, and started playing the cello at the age of 14, winning a musical competition just two years later. She undertook her studies at the Brno Conservatory, and later at the Music Academy of Prague, finishing at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen. In the meantime, she completed the master classes of André Navarra, Paul Tortelier and Mstislav Rostropovich. She delivered successful performances in numerous international competitions: at the Prague Spring International Music Festival in Prague in 1984, the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1986, at the International Scheveningen Music Competition in Scheveningen in 1987, at the Nordic Biennale in Denmark in 1987 and at the Walter Naumburg Competition in New York in 1989. She received the Danish Music Critics Prize in 1988, the Czech Grammy Classic for the Best Solo Performance of the Year in 1994 and won the Gramophone Award in 2006. At our concert, she will play the cello concerto of her compatriot, Antonín Dvořák.