ABOUT THE MARIE-JOSÉE KRAVIS PRIZE FOR NEW MUSIC AT THE

The Marie-Josée Kravis Prize for New Music at the New York Philharmonic is awarded to a composer for extraordinary artistic endeavor in the field of new music.

Frequency: The prize, consisting of $200,000 and a commission for the New York Philharmonic, is bestowed every two seasons. In alternating seasons, when no prize is given, the names the Kravis Emerging Composer, who receives a $50,000 stipend and a commission. The total award of $250,000 is among the largest new-music prizes in the world.

Selection Process: Prizewinners are selected by a committee comprising leading artists and administrators who have close ties to the Philharmonic, and a demonstrated interest in fostering new music. The committee currently includes New York Philharmonic Music Director ; Christopher Rouse, The Marie-Josée Kravis Composer-in-Residence at the New York Philharmonic, 2012–15; composer/conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen; Nicholas Kenyon, managing director, Barbican Centre, London; Ara Guzelimian, provost and dean of The Juilliard School; and Daniel Druckman, New York Philharmonic Associate Principal Percussion.

Henry and Marie-Josée Kravis: Henry and Marie-Josée Kravis have long been generous supporters of new music at the New York Philharmonic. In 2009 they made a gift of $10 million to the Orchestra, endowing both The Marie-Josée Kravis Prize for New Music at the New York Philharmonic and the Composer-in-Residence position. They have commissioned 17 new compositions including a new work by Franck Krawczyk (to be premiered at a later date); Peter Eötvös’s Senza sangue (May 2015); Christopher Rouse’s Thunderstuck (October 2014); Sean Shepherd’s Songs (June 2014); Anthony Cheung’s Lyra (June 2014); Christopher Rouse’s Symphony No. 4 (June 2014) and Prospero’s Rooms (April 2013); ’s No. 2, written for Yefim Bronfman (May 2012), (June 2010), Souvenir (in memorium Gérard Grisey) (November 2010), and (September 2009); ’s The World in Flower (May 2009); Marc Neikrug’s Quintessence (March 2008); Chains Like the Sea (October 2008); Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Piano Concerto (February 2007); ’s Gathering Paradise, Emily Dickinson Settings for Soprano and Orchestra (September 2004); and ’s Symphony No. 3 (September 2003).

Past Recipient: The inaugural Kravis Prize was awarded in the 2011–12 season to Henri Dutilleux (1916–2013), who shared the proceeds of the Prize with three composers — Anthony Cheung, Franck Krawczyk, and Peter Eötvös — each of whom would write a work for the Orchestra to premiere. Sean Shepherd was named the 2012 Kravis Emerging Composer. The New York Philharmonic gives the World Premieres of Anthony Cheung’s Lyra and Sean Shepherd’s Songs June 11–21, 2014; Mr. Eötvös’s Senza sangue will receive its World Premiere in Cologne, Germany, on the Orchestra’s EUROPE / SPRING 2015 tour, and its U.S. Premiere in May 8–9, 2015.