The associate conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra Wilson Ng has won the third place at the 2020 Mahler Competition.

The Mahler Competition is a triennial competition for conductors under 35 organized by the Bamberg Symphony.

This year’s competition was held from June 29 to July 5 in Bamberg, Germany. It was the first in-person international music competition to be held amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was live streamed via Facebook and YouTube.

A total of 334 contenders participated in the competition, and 16 of them were invited to the official event. Ng, one of the three finalists, conducted Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 in G major for the finals.

According to the SPO, Ng was held up at the airport in Germany for two days for safety measures against the COVID-19 crisis, and arrived in Bamberg just in time for the competition.

Jakub Hrusa, the Chief Conductor of the Bamberg Symphony, and Marina Mahler, the composer’s granddaughter, were two members of the jury.

Born in Hong Kong, Ng started his music career as a flutist. After moving on to conducting, he studied at the Berlin University of the Arts.

Ng was appointed to the associate conductor position of the SPO in January 2019 through an open competition.

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)