June 2022
Chloe wins Contemporary Award at International Conducting Competition Rotterdam
Congratulations to Chloe, who was last week awarded the Contemporary Music Award at the inaugral International Conducting Competition Rotterdam.
'Chloe Rooke was perhaps the most memorable conductor. Not only as the only woman, but also as the only conductor without baton and as the only one who didn’t seem to bother about conducting the beat, unless it was really needed. What Rooke does is visualize the music, flowing and round with her hands as in an Indian mudras, so that her Mahler swirls and flows wonderfully. By exaggerating sometimes, it is impossible to miss how she wants to hear the music, which is good for an orchestra like the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra.' NRC, June 2022
Since getting through to the ICCR finals last year (when she also won 3rd prize and Audience Prize at the Donatella Flick Competition), Rooke has twice conducted the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican Centre in family concerts, and led members of the BBC Concert Orchestra in six short world premieres by young British composers on BBC Radio 3. Last month she conducted a staged production of Così fan tutte at the Bredeweg Festival (Amsterdam), and this Summer assists on Don Pasquale at Glyndebourne. Recently promoted to Artistic Director of Street Orchestra Live, in August, Rooke takes them on a UK tour bringing music to under-served communities across the country.