The winner, Juilliard learner Euan Shields, will presently work as Sir Label Elder's helper conductor at the Hallé The second Siemens Hallé International Conductors Contest has announced its winner. More than two hundred conductors six continents had applied to get part, and eight semi-finalists were ed for the three contest days, held at Manchester's Bridgewater Hall.

Of these eight, three candidates made it into the final on fourteenth March. Finalists guided the Hallé through four works by Mozart, Elgar, Sibelius and Stravinsky. This year's finalists were keep through their paces in front of an international audience. In a live voting session, the audience members then chose their favourites for recommendation to the panel. The contest was won by Euan Shields, age twenty-four, who's studying for a Master of Music in Orchestral Conducting at the Juilliard School, New York. Euan's prize is a two-year engagement as helper conductor to Sir Tag Elder, the Hallé's music director.

He will also get over the directorship of the Hallé Youth Orchestra and will be offered numerous visitor conducting appearances. 'It's been a very intense few days of lots of music making and all of this is still resonating in my head,' Euan said. 'I'm so excited to obtain to know the all family of the Hallé Orchestra and to memorise as much as possible the musicians of the Hallé - and I am also very excited to get the Hallé Youth Orchestra on a really exciting musical journey over the course of two years.'