The 33-year-old wins $50,000 and mentorship at The Australian Ballet, Opera Australia and the Sydney Symphony.

Patrick Burns has won the 2017 Hephzibah Tintner Conducting Fellowship. The award is given to an emerging talent who the judges consider will contribute to the cultural and artistic life of Australia. As well as a monetary prize of $50,000, the Fellowship provides training and mentorship opportunities for two years at The Australian Ballet, Opera Australia, and Sydney Symphony Orchestra, where the recipient is included in the conducting process.

Patrick BurnsPatrick Burns

Burns follows in the footsteps of previous Hephzibah Tintner Conducting Fellows Simon Hewett and Simon Thew who are now both established stage conductors – Hewett with the Hamburg Ballet, and Thew with The Australian Ballet and Birmingham City Ballet. “This Fellowship delivers on its vision of supporting promising Australian artists. We have seen two careers form for our conducting alumni, and are confident Patrick shows similar aptitude,” said Foundation Chair Frank Sartor, AO.

Speaking to Limelight, Burns says: “I feel very honoured and humbled to have been selected, especially knowing the quality and experience of my other conducting colleagues who were competing for...