Italian conductor Matteo Dal Maso has won the 18th Donatella Flick LSO Competition (DFCC) in London. The 28-year-old will receive prize money of 15,000 British pounds (approximately 17,311 euros) and can become assistant conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), the organizers announced on Wednesday evening.

Matteo Dal Maso

Dal Maso prevailed in the final against 29-year-old Frenchman Félix Benati and 22-year-old Leonhard Kreutzmann from Germany. Jury chairman Sir Antonio Pappano, chief conductor of the LSO, congratulated the winner. "His musicality, maturity, and his relationship with the musicians were evident throughout."

The German-French Conducting Competition (DFCC) was founded in 1990 by the Italian philanthropist Donatella Flick to support young conductors at the beginning of their careers. Held every two years, it is one of the world's most prestigious conducting competitions. Previous winners include the French conductors François-Xavier Roth (2000) and Alexandre Bloch (2012), as well as Elim Chan from Hong Kong (2014), the first woman to win.

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