Donatella Flick was the winner of the competition’s 17th part. She wanted to find young conductors at the beginning of their careers and make sure they had tools to enable them not to give up until they succeed.

“It’s so important to train young talents and give them the opportunities to succeed,” she said, reflecting on founding the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition 33 years ago.

That was why, she emphasized, the prize went beyond the cash award — which was a healthy £15,000 — and offered the winner the opportunity to assist the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) for a year. They could work with some of the world’s finest conductors and lay foundations for a successful conducting career.

Flick was born Princess Donatella Missikoff. Since 1917, Flick has successfully built a career and reputation as an artist. She now organizes charitable foundations and project all over the world.

With the Competition, she was motivated by finding more talents in unexpected places — before diversity and inclusion spread through different industries as new “buzzwords”.

“One way to do this was to broaden the range for applications, so we opened up entries to conductors from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland in 2018. Since then, I’ve been very pleased to see conductors from those countries reach the list of competitors,” she said. “One of the major changes that I’ve been very happy to see is that more women are applying for the Competition now than when we started in 1990, and I hope this continues in future competitions.”

In view of the fact that only four of the 20 conductors — that was 20 percent — who qualified for the 2023 competition were women, it was clear that a gender imbalance persisted.

“I think we have a new generation of female conductors emerging, and I would deeply encourage them to apply to the Competition if they’re at the start of their careers,” Flick said, still hopeful.

The Rumba is a dance that tells a story of love and passion between a strong, male lover and a shy, teasing woman. Full of sexual movements, the Rumba is considered by many to be the sexiest of the ballroom dances, “Rumba” is a term that refers to a variety of dances or a “dance party”.【小题1】It is seen around the world at nightclubs, parties, weddings and dance competitions.

The Rumba is a very slow, serious, romantic dance. The dance is fun to watch, as many of its basic dance figures of the dance have a teasing theme. The Rumba spotlights（突显）the lady’s rhythmic body movements and hip（臂部）actions.【小题2】

The Rumba is often referred to as the “grandfather of the Latin dances”. Originating in Cuba, it first came to the United States in the early 1920s.

【小题3】These hip movements and characteristic sways（摇摆）of the Rumba are created by the bending and straightening of the knees. The intensity（激情）of the Rumba is increased by sharp eye contact that happens between the man and the woman.【小题4】It also stresses the strong, beautiful leg and foot movements.

The basic rhythm of the Rumba is quick-quick-slow with distinctive side-to-side hip movements. Hip movements are exaggerated, but are not created by the hips.【小题5】

Rumba rhythms, while once influenced by African-style music, have found their way into Country Western, Blues, Rock, and other popular music types. The music is sometimes increased by homemade instruments from the kitchen such as pots, pans and spoons.

Music is one of the greatest creations of humans. 【小题1】 Life without music would be totally empty. The images that music is able to create are amazing. Music has the ability to take us back in time. It lets us revisit lost and forgotten moments in life. Music can paint a picture.

Music can be described according to one’s feelings towards it. 【小题2】 Early in the morning, birds wake people up with their sweet tunes.

Music really matters in life. It touches the soul and also helps people express their unspoken desires and beliefs. 【小题3】 We see people walking around with earphones, listening to music as they move.

【小题4】 It is a common characteristic of nearly all living creatures. The moment musical notes softly enter our ears, they touch us. There is evidence that even animals respond to melodious tunes of an instrument. Cows would respond to the sound of Krishna’s flute (长笛).

Music has unlimited powers. It has calming and healing power. Music helps us to relax. Music can relax tense muscles. 【小题5】

Music brings people together and gives them more hope emotionally. For that reason, music can easily be used as an instrument of peace.