Nestlé announced it extends its sponsorship of the Salzburg Festival until 2015. The company has partnered the prestigious annual music festival in Austria for 20 years helping to open up classical music to young people.

Photo: Nestlé

Nestlé and the festival together launched the Nestlé and the Salzburg Festival Young Conductor’s Award in 2010. It was created to give talented young conductors aged between 22 and 35 a significant movet to their careers. The winner receives 15,000 euro and has an opportunity to conduct a concert with the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra in Salzburg’s Felsenreitschule theatre. The award candidates must prove their ability to conduct classical-romantic repertoire as well as contemporary music pieces.

This year the award was presented to Ainars Rubiķis from Latvia, while the last year’s recipient was David Afkahm from Germany.

«The Nestlé and the Salzburg Festival Young Conductors Award has already given two promising talents a major push in their international careers,» said Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Nestlé Chairman.

«The Salzburg Festival offers the winner of the award an ideal platform to put his or her skills to the test,» he added.

In 2012, the selection process will change, offering three finalists another public performance opportunity. They will perform at a public concert at the Felsenreitschule theatre over a weekend in April 28—29. The award presentation will be held at the festival in August. The finalist will be accompanied by one of three orchestras—the Camerata Salzburg, the Mozarteum Orchestra or the Munich Radio Orchestra as well as by young international soloists.

The award’s 13 member jury panel has also changed, with eight new members and a new chairman; the famous German conductor Ingo Metzmacher.