Donatella Flick’s background as an Olympic sportswoman, combined with a lifelong passion for music, gave her an understanding of the pressures of a professional performer’s career and the lack of opportunities for young conductors to develop their talent.

Her answer was to found the Donatella Conducting Competition in 1990, with support from HRH The Prince of Wales. Since 1996, the Competition has run biennially in partnership with the London Symphony Orchestra, with the next in December 2016.