Japanese conductor Yoneda Satoshi won the grand prize at the 59th Besancon International Competition for Young Conductors held on September 27 in France.

Three conductors including an American and a Chinese candidate moved onto the final, and the jury unanimously named 29-year-old Yoneda the winner and said he was outstanding.

Yoneda grew up in Okayama Prefecture in western Japan and graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts in 2020.

He gained attention as an honorable mention in the 2021 Tokyo International Conducting Competition.

The Besancon competition is regarded as a launch pad for young conductors.

Past winners include Ozawa Seiji who passed away in 2024.

Yoneda’s prize makes this the first Japanese win of the competition since 2019.