Girl Sweeps Awards at China's Conducting Forum

This is a Chinese language programme without subtitles.


Chinese conductor Xu Leyuan swept all major conducting prizes at the Second Young Conductors’ Conference, a rare national platform for emerging conductors in mainland China.


Xu, who studied conducting at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and is now pursuing a master’s degree at The Chinese University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Conservatory (CUHKMus), won both the Best Conductor Award from the jury and the Orchestra Favourite Award, decided by the musicians of the Guangxi Symphony Orchestra.


“It’s a rare and invaluable opportunity for young conductors to work so closely with a professional orchestra,” Xu said after the awards ceremony. “The orchestra’s openness and support made this an intensely rewarding experience.”


The forum, held from Jan. 18 to 21 in Nanning, was founded by veteran conductor Hu Yongyan in 2025. It combines awards, masterclasses, lectures and public rehearsals. It is organised by CUHK-Shenzhen Conservatory of Music and is considered one of the few structured conducting selection mechanisms in mainland China, comparable in format to the Salzburg Young Conductors Award.


Five finalists - Xu Leyuan, Xing Hao, Fan Muhan, Chen Hongjun and Xin Mucong - advanced to the final round and appeared at the closing concert at the Guangxi Concert Hall, conducting repertoire including Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, Brahms’ Symphony No. 3, Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 and excerpts from Copland’s Appalachian Spring. Violinist He Shucong was the soloist.


Xu said the competitive process itself was a learning experience. “From the initial selection of 15 candidates, we all learned from one another in different ways,” she said. “It was an honour to be part of that.”


Her win also carried symbolic weight. Xu is the second woman to claim the forum’s top prize since its launch, following Yan Siyi, winner of the inaugural edition in Shenzhen in 2025.


“It shows that women in China, and around the world, are emerging with new artistic strength and individuality,” Xu said. “We each have our own style, our own voice.”


Born into a musical family, Xu has previously assisted on symphonic projects and conducted opera productions including excerpts from Madama Butterfly and La Bohème. In 2025, she led the mainland China premiere of Gian Carlo Menotti’s opera The Telephone. She has also worked with orchestras including the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and several leading Chinese symphony ensembles.


Mainland China has held few nationwide conducting competitions in recent years, in contrast to Hong Kong and Japan, where international conducting contests are held regularly. Organisers say the Young Conductors’ Forum helps fill that gap by offering sustained evaluation, rehearsal time and professional exposure.


“Everything that has helped me, and even the setbacks that shaped me, has been part of the journey,” Xu said. “What matters is staying true to your original purpose and continuing to strive higher.”


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