Middle East
Regional
The 14th Danube International Conducting Masterclass and Competition took place in Budapest on August 21–31, 2018. Participating were 16 musical conductors.
The First Prize and the Grand Prize both went to Garo Avessian, who is the principal conductor of the Chamber Orchestra of the Hamazkayin “Parsegh Ganachian” Music College and teaches music theory and harmony there. Avessian has also conducted the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra.
As the Grand Prize winner, the Lebanese-Armenian conductor has been invited to serve as a guest conductor of the Danube Symphony Orchestra in Budapest during its 2018 –19 season.