The international conducting competition La Maestra Paris was founded in 2020 at the initiative of the Paris Philharmonic and the Paris Mozart Orchestra with a clear vision: to increase the visibility of women conductors and foster greater gender equality in the field of orchestral conducting. In a short time, the competition has become one of the most important platforms for young women conductors at the beginning of their international careers.

The initiative is artistically led by renowned conductor Claire Gibault together with the leadership of the Paris Mozart Orchestra, while the competition is held in close collaboration with the Philharmonie de Paris. In addition to the competition itself, it also includes the multi-year mentorship programme of the La Maestra Academy, which offers selected conductors professional support, artistic mentoring, networking opportunities, and collaborations with leading European orchestras.

This year’s edition attracted 225 women conductors from around the world, from whom an international jury selected 16 finalists representing 13 countries. After several competition rounds, four conductors advanced to the final: Molly Turner (USA), Alizé Léhon (France), Jiajing Lai (China), and Mojca Lavrenčič (Slovenia).

The international jury, chaired by Ukrainian conductor Oksana Lyniv, awarded first prize to Mojca Lavrenčič, who, in addition to the main award, also received several special distinctions, including prizes from international orchestral associations, the ECHO organisation, the musicians of the Orchestre de Paris, and the media platform ARTE.

Second prize was awarded to Jiajing Lai (China), while third prize went to Alizé Léhon (France). Lavrenčič’s achievement is all the more remarkable as she entered the competition as a substitute candidate shortly before it began and went on to convincingly triumph over an outstanding international field of competitors.

Today, La Maestra is considered one of the world’s most influential conducting platforms. Beyond the competition itself, it also includes the two-year La Maestra Academy, which provides prizewinners with mentorship, collaborations with leading orchestras, and long-term professional development opportunities.

You can watch a recording of the competition’s final performance below.