Isaac Karabtchevsky
The Rio de Janeiro based Petrobras Symphony Orchestra has just launched the Maestro Isaac Karabtchevsky Conducting Competition, aimed at Brazilian conductors between the ages of 18 and 45. With entries open until July 4, the competition celebrates the legacy of conductor Isaac Karabtchevsky, who at the age of 90 continues to lead the orchestra as artistic director, and reinforces the group’s vocation for training new talents.
The initiative will reward three winners, who in addition to receiving cash, will have the opportunity to conduct the orchestra on prominent stages in Rio de Janeiro.
In 2025, Petrobras Sinfônica will celebrate 50 years of activity. Founded by Armando Prazeres, the orchestra has a unique management model in the country, run by its own musicians. The launch of the I Maestro Isaac Karabtchevsky Conducting Competition adds to the orchestra’s other educational projects, such as the Youth Academy, which provides free musical training for young people aged between 15 and 20.
Isaac Karabtchevsky (born December 27, 1934, in São Paulo) is a Brazilian conductor of Jewish ancestry. He studied music and conducting in Germany, where his teachers included Wolfgang Fortner, Pierre Boulez and Carl Ueter.
Karabtchevsky conducted the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, (Rio de Janeiro) from 1969 to 1996. From 1988 to 1994, he was principal conductor of the Tonkünstler Orchestra, (Vienna). From 1995 to 2001, he was music director of the Teatro La Fenice (Venice). Since 2003, Karabtchevsky has been the artistic director of the Porto Alegre Symphony Orchestra (Porto Alegre). He was music director of the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire (Nantes et Angers) from 2004 to 2009. Today, Karabtchevsky is the music director of the Petrobras Symphony.
