Anniversary Concert Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung

In 1973, Benjamin Britten received the first Ernst von Siemens Music Prize. Since then, the foundation, which is based in Zug, has annually awarded this prize, which is endowed with 250,000 euros and is often referred to as the Nobel Prize of music. Equally important is the extensive promotion of young composers, ensembles and festivals for contemporary music. They are selected by a board of trustees, of which our artistic director Ilona Schmiel is a member. Now, on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, the festival is looking back on its own history. In Zurich, too, you can hear in two concerts what has been created thanks to the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation.

The first concert will be given by the French Quatuor Diotima, which regularly commissions works. They will play works by prize winners of the past decades – and one by this year's sponsorship prize winner Sara Glojnarić. Before and after the concert, a sound installation by Christian Mason can be discovered in the Vereinssaal; the British composer dived deep into the Foundation's archives for the project and developed something new from what he found there. And what makes composers tick: This will be revealed in the discussion round at 1.15 pm.

Translated with DeepL.com