American conductor Ryan Bancroft, 28, took both the First Prize and the Audience Prize in the 2018 Malko Competition for Young Conductors, organized by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra.
The Danish National Symphony Orchestra’s principal conductor Fabio Luisi presented the prize to a clearly-moved Ryan Bancroft, who can now look forward to several reunions with the Danish orchestra.
Ryan Bancroft, a native of Los Angeles, has a broad musical background. Not only has he studied flute, harp and trumpet, he has also worked professionally in classical ballet and Ghanian dance.
Today, Ryan Bancroft lives in Amsterdam. He has already conducted the Dutch Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Prague Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. He is a passionate interpreter of new music, and has assisted the French conductor and composer Pierre Boulez in a performance of Sur Incises with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Anna Rakitina (Russia, 28) won Second Prize, Alessandro Bonato (Italy, 23) Third Prize.
