Yin Jiongjie, 24, shares his experience of competitions, older musicians and the art of leading an orchestra, Chen Nan reports.

Like many young musicians, Yin Jiongjie has participated in competitions around the world, which he says is a great way of gaining experience by working with symphony orchestras, as well as an opportunity to raise your visibility.

When it comes to dealing with unexpected situations right before or during a competition, the 24-year-old conductor also has answers.

A day before he competed during the first round of the 57th Besancon International Competition for Young Conductors in France in 2021, for example, Yin fell ill. "Maybe it was because of spoiled food I had eaten the day before", he says. He only managed one piece of candy before going onstage and didn't think that he would make it to the final, although he did. The jury decided not to award a Grand Prix that year, as the high standards of the finalists made it impossible to decide between them. Yin and the two other finalists were given a Special Mention instead. "Jong-Jie Yin, the youngest of the finalists, had a very good mastery of the music, considering his young age," says Paul Daniel, jury president.