Next generation conductors are being offered the opportunity to catapult their professional career as Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s Calleva Conducting Competition opens today [17 December].
The bursary-supported training position provides a broad mix of performance opportunities and mentoring, including from the Orchestra’s world-leading guest conductors and musicians.
Finalists will be selected to compete in the two-day competition at Lighthouse, Poole next April. The winner becomes the BSO’s next Calleva Assistant Conductor. They follow Marta Gardolińska, Tom Fetherstonhaugh and current post holder, Enyi Okpara.
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) opens its Calleva Conducting Competition this week, offering those aged 35 or below the platform to catapult their professional career.
The winner will conduct performances and assist the BSO’s conductors – including Chief Conductor Mark Wigglesworth, Chloé Van Soeterstède, Kirill Karabits and David Hill – and visiting guest conductors across the concert year.
The Calleva Assistant Conductor will also get involved in the Orchestra’s pioneering community-based BSO Participate work. They will conduct a broad mix of events, from high-energy schools’ concerts to smaller-scale performances across the South West.
The two-day competition takes place at Lighthouse, Poole from 27-28 April 2026, with the winner announced following a vote from the Orchestra’s musicians and several performance rounds.
Enyi Okpara was announced as the Competition’s previous winner in 2024. This season, alongside his BSO performances, he conducts the Multi-Story Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain, and London Schools’ Symphony Orchestra. Enyi was announced as one of Classic FM’s Rising Stars earlier this year. He studied an MA in Orchestral Conducting with Sian Edwards at the Royal Academy of Music, where he held the Derek Butler Award.
Former post holders include Tom Fetherstonhaugh, who made his BBC Proms debut in 2024 as Artistic Director of Fantasia Orchestra and Marta Gardolińska (Music Director – Opera National de Lorraine, former Dudamel Fellow – LA Philharmonic), who was announced as the BSO’s Young Conductor in Association in 2018.
Dougie Scarfe OBE, Chief Executive of Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra said:
“The BSO’s Calleva Conducting Competition is always an exciting moment, which provides us with a snapshot into the extraordinary talent of the next generation of conductors. The role provides a platform to elevate their craft, as they juggle the demands of a busy professional schedule with work beyond the stage too, working with all ages across communities in the South West. Enyi, Tom and Marta are fantastic examples of musicians who have taken the baton and run with it, each in their own brilliant way. We look forward to welcoming the next cohort to Poole, in April.”
The 12-month role, which runs from September 2026 and holds the possibility of a second-year extension, is funded in 2024-30 by The Calleva Foundation, in memory of Jack Butt.
Stephen and Caroline Butt, Trustees of The Calleva Foundation, said: “Supporting the Calleva Assistant Conductor programme is our investment in the next generation of outstanding artists. Having greatly enjoyed our association with Tom and Enyi, we’re looking forward to following the career of another star performer.”
For further details and application form, click here.
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