Rebecca Tong is RNCM’s new Junior Fellow in Conducting

The RNCM is delighted to announce Rebecca Tong as its new Junior Fellow in Conducting, commencing in September.

Rebecca was one of 14 candidates chosen to attend the live auditions this month, selected from 140 applications worldwide. Over the course of three days, candidates conducted works by Dvořák, Copland, Debussy and Beethoven as well as a new piece RNCM composition student Fenton Hutson. This year’s panel was Sir Mark Elder (Music Director of the Hallé and the RNCM’s International Chair in Conducting), Clark Rundell (Head of Conducting, RNCM) and Mark Heron (Tutor in Conducting, RNCM).

Rebecca, a native Indonesian of Chinese decent, completed her Master’s in Orchestral Conducting at College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati with Mark Gibson. Last season she held the position of CCM Conducting Fellow with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Assistant Conductor with the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra. She is currently Resident Conductor of the Jakarta Sinfonia Orchestra.

She said: ‘It was an honor to be in such a competitive environment of conductors and fine musicians at the RNCM. Each judge really took time to make all the participants feel welcome and the feedback was very helpful – not many competitions provide such a supportive and friendly environment. I am very grateful to have been chosen as the new Junior Fellow in Conducting; it was certainly a surprise to win the position after competing against talented young conductors from all over the world.

‘I can’t wait to make Manchester my home for the next two years, to work with such wonderful conductors at the RNCM and to assist in some of Britain’s top professional orchestras.’

Rebecca will now receive tuition from Sir Mark Elder, Clark Rundell, Mark Heron and visiting conductors, as well as conduct the RNCM Symphony and Chamber Orchestras and benefit from the College’s strong links with the Hallé, BBC Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Manchester Camerata. The RNCM developed special partnerships with the BBC Philharmonic and Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestras where Junior Fellows, as well as postgraduate conducting students, work as Assistant Conductor several times a year.

12 February 2018