​ ​ In November 2023, the Swiss ‘Willem Mengelberg Stiftung’ awarded Dutch conductor Michael Engelbrecht with the ‘Mengelberg Conducting Award’. A recognition for "extraordinary conducting talent"; furthermore, a cash prize of CHF 10.000,- is related to this award.   In June 2021, he won first prize at the 'Blue Danube / Béla Bartók International Opera Conducting Competition' with the State Opera Stara Zagora (Bulgaria). The program of this competition included four complete operas: Mozart's Don Giovanni, Bizet's Carmen, Leoncavallo's Pagliacci and Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle. ​ Mr. Engelbrecht was also first prize winner of the Budapest International Masterclass & Competition for Orchestral Conducting, where the musicians of the MÁV Budapest Symphony Orchestra acted as a jury and elected him as the winner.   Mr. Engelbrecht is currently chief conductor and artistic director of his self-founded Dutch Wind Symphony, Spotlight Orchestra Dordrecht and the Symphonic Wind Orchestra 'Crescendo' Krimpen aan de Lek. As a guest conductor, he conducted a.o. the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, National Theatre Košice (Slovakia), State Opera Stara Zagora (Bulgaria), the MÁV Budapest Symphony Orchestra, the Eindhoven Symphony Orchestra, Neos Brass Amsterdam and the Dutch National Student Orchestra during their tour in Croatia. He also conducted concerts of the Philips Symphonic Wind Orchestra during their tour in China in Beijing, Nanjing and Shanghai. He attended masterclasses and lessons with: Jan Cober, Ivan Meylemans, Marien van Staalen, Ilona Meskó & Jukka-Pekka Saraste.   Mr. Engelbrecht began his professional musical career at age 17, as a tenor tuba player in the Royal Dutch Military Band in The Hague. He won first prize at the prestigious ‘Concours Mondial de Tuba et Euphonium’ in Guebwiller (France) while still at a very young age. He completed his euphonium and conducting studies with distinction at the Tilburg and Maastricht conservatory. Mr. Engelbrecht performed a.o. with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, theNetherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, the Ballet Orchestra Amsterdam, The Hague Philharmonic (Residentie Orkest) and the Aachen Symphony Orchestra. He collaborated with conductors such as Riccardo Chailly, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Ingo Metzmacher, Marc Albrecht and Sir George Benjamin. He also performed as a soloist with several orchestras and as a chamber musician. Since winning first prize at the 'Blue Danube / Béla Bartók International Opera Conducting Competition', MichaelEngelbrecht has focused exclusively on his conducting career.