[News Today] UNIQUE CONDUCTING COMPETITION

[LEAD]
Music competitions tend to be full of tension and formality. But today, we introduce a competition where even jokes count in the evaluation, alongside rehearsal processes and participant skills. What kind of competition can this be? We take a look.

[REPORT]
A conductor sneaks a glance at a Korean greeting written on paper.

Nickolai Podvin/
Hello, I'm happy to be here.

The orchestra begins playing music under his baton.

However, the music soon comes to a halt.

The conductor even uses gestures to explain his interpretation of the musical piece.
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A conductor gives his directions calmly through words.

"Do you know 가야금?"

Another conductor expresses himself with big, powerful hand gestures.

The other conductor grasps the flow of the music through facial expressions.

Austin Alexander Chanu/ Contestant
Building trust and relationships with the orchestra. To be able to get them on your side and want to play the music the way you want to do.

It may look like a rehearsal, but this is a competition to showcase conducting skills.

Unlike other music competitions, conducting contests judge everything from a participant's hand movements to their jokes.

David Reiland/ Chief judge
What connects all musicians is not written in scores. A good conductor is a person who can express the unwritten.

There are only a handful of competitions for conductors worldwide.

A conductor's job is not only to direct the orchestra on the stage but also to communicate with the audience.

This is why the journey to becoming a maestro is not easy.

Yoon Han-kyeol/ Conductor
The goal is to gain diverse experiences and become someone everyone wants to work with, anywhere.