| Ernst von Siemens Music Prize 2026 Awarded to Jordi Savall – Composer Prizes Awarded to Bethan Morgan-Williams, Hovik Sardaryan, and Kitty Xiao – Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation Increases Funding to €4.3 Million The Catalan musician Jordi Savall has been awarded the 2026 Ernst von Siemens Music Prize, which recognizes a lifetime of outstanding contributions to music. The prize carries an endowment of €250,000, and the prize ceremony will be held on May 23, 2026, at Munich’s Prinzregententheater. The Composers Prizes, each worth €35,000, will go to British composer Bethan Morgan-Williams, Armenian composer Hovik Sardaryan, and Australian composer Kitty Xiao. Jordi Savall receives the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize 2026 in recognition of his outstanding lifetime achievement. As a performer, scholar, and musical ambassador, he has made seminal contributions to early music and historically informed performance practice. His concerts and recordings are regarded as landmarks in the field, and as a teacher and ensemble director he has shaped generations of musicians. In 1991, his music for the historical film Tous les matins du monde (The Seventh String) brought him international recognition and introduced his work to audiences worldwide. Jordi Savall began his musical training in Barcelona as a cellist. Inspired by his enthusiasm for Renaissance music, he later chose the viola da gamba as his principal instrument and completed his studies at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basel, where he would later teach. Since the late 1960s, Savall has worked tirelessly to advance early music—not only as a performer but also as a researcher exploring medieval and Renaissance manuscripts. He shared a rich artistic partnership with his first wife, the soprano Montserrat Figueras, until her death in 2011. Their two children, Arianna and Ferran, have also chosen musical careers and continue their parents’ artistic legacy. Together with Figueras, Savall founded the ensemble Hespèrion XX (today Hespèrion XXI) in 1974, which specializes in music of the Iberian Peninsula, and in 1987 the vocal ensemble Capella Reial de Catalunya, devoted to sacred music of the Middle Ages. This was followed by the founding of Le Concert des Nations in 1989, an orchestra performing Baroque, Classical, and early Romantic repertoire on period instruments. To reach a wider audience, Savall founded the record label Alia Vox in 1998, which has since released more than 230 recordings and sold over two million CDs worldwide. In recent years, Savall has deepened his commitment to music education through the Youth Orchestra and Choir Professional Academies (YOCPA), a project run by the Fundació Centre Internacional de Música Antiga (CIMA) with support from the European Union. These intensive twelve-day academies provide advanced training and professional experience for emerging musicians, bringing together established performers, young professionals, and carefully selected new talents in thoughtfully curated ensembles. Under Savall’s artistic direction, participants work on demanding repertoire at the highest artistic level, perform in leading concert halls across Europe, and take part in professional recording projects. Savall has long combined his musical career with social activism. In 2018, he founded the ensemble Orpheus XXI, which brings together refugee musicians from North Africa and the Arab world. His research has traced the journey of music since the 15th century along the routes of the slave trade, revealing the intertwined roots of African and European musical traditions. He continues to advocate for peace to this day: “Music cannot end war, but it can bring peace to our hearts. Music is the only language that speaks directly to the heart. Without it, life would be impossible.” more information Prize ceremony on May 23, 2026, Prinzregententheater Munich The prize ceremony will take place on May 23, 2026, at the Prinzregententheater in Munich. Hespèrion XXI and La Capella Reial de Catalunya will perform, conducted by the prizewinner himself. The laudatory address will be given by Edouard Mätzener. Composer Prizes Awarded to: Bethan Morgan-Williams, Hovik Sardaryan, and Kitty Xiao The Composer Prizes, each endowed with €35,000, are awarded to Bethan Morgan-Williams, Hovik Sardaryan, and Kitty Xiao. Each prize additionally includes a digital recording release. Bethan Morgan-Williams (*1992) Born in Wales, Bethan Morgan-Williams studied with Diderik Wagenaar at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and with Gary Carpenter at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. She has collaborated with the London Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Musikfabrik, the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, and violist Antoine Tamestit. Based in Wales, Morgan-Williams draws on the contrast between rural calm and urban intensity in her music, which features layered textures and complex rhythms, guiding listeners through carefully structured, multifaceted works. more information Hovik Sardaryan (*1993) Hovik Sardaryan was born in Armenia and began his studies at the Yerevan State Conservatory with Ashot Zohrabyan. With the support of a DAAD scholarship, he continued his education in Germany, studying with Wolfgang Rihm in Karlsruhe and Arnulf Hermann in Saarbrücken. Sardaryan was a fellow of the Karajan Academy and, in 2023, was selected for the Roche Young Commissions. His music often draws on his Armenian heritage, incorporating traditional instruments and folk melodies. He also explores unconventional tunings and microtonality, creating a distinctive, personal sound in expansive compositions. more information Kitty Xiao (*1989) Born in Australia, Kitty Xiao is a composer, sound artist, and producer. She studied performance and music education in Melbourne and has been pursuing a doctorate in composition at Columbia University in New York since 2022, where she studies with Georg Friedrich Haas and George Lewis. She has collaborated with Ensemble Modern, the Mivos Quartet, and the Australian National Academy of Music. Xiao’s work combines performative elements and electronic media, exploring the human body and embodied experience. more information Ensemble Prizes 2026 The 2026 Ensemble Prizes are awarded to NO HAY BANDA from Canada and the Ensemble for New Music Tallinn from Estonia. This prize is open to young professional ensembles with several years of concert experience. A majority of ensemble members should be under the age of 35, and the ensemble’s work should focus primarily on contemporary repertoire. The application deadline for the Ensemble Prize 2027 is March 1, 2026. Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation Awards €4.3 Million for the First Time Project Funding In 2026, the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation once again increases its funding budget, awarding a total of €4.3 million. The largest share—€3.3 million—is allocated to contemporary music projects worldwide. Funding supports composition commissions, festivals, concerts featuring premieres and revivals, academies, symposia, and musicological publications. Funding for Youth Projects The Foundation’s funding for youth projects is being consolidated and expanded by €350,000, enabling funding for 20 projects, each receiving €25,000. Supported initiatives include both participatory projects and educational programs that introduce young people to musical practice. Through this funding, the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation broadens access to music education. Upcoming Application Deadlines: March 1, 2026: Project Funding and Ensemble Prize 2027 Project Funding Ensemble Prize October 1, 2026: Project Funding and Funding for Youth Projects Project Funding Funding for Youth Projects Notice The Ernst von Siemens Music Prize has been awarded annually since 1973 by the private Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, based in Switzerland. It is not a prize of Siemens AG or the Siemens Foundation. |
2026 Ernst von Siemens Music Prize.
