A YOUNG conductor from Hexham has won a prestigious international prize at a music festival in America.
Fergus McAlpine (22) was invited to conduct at the world-renowned Aspen Music Festival last month, where he won the James Conlon Conductor prize.
He was one of nine young conductors from all over the world chosen to perform over the festival’s two month programme.
He currently studies conducting at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo and has already conducted the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, the Minsk Chamber Orchestra and the Manchester Camerata amongst others.
Fergus, who studied at Mowden Hall School at Newton and then Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester, is the founder and musical director of his own opera company.
He played with the Young Sinfonia at The Sage Gateshead when he was 12 and went on to become the principal bassoonist with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, where he performed several times at the Proms.
He will return to conduct in Aspen in 2018.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here