Press Release February 2016 2016 Composers‘ Prizes of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation for Milica Djordjeviü, David Hudry and Gordon Kampe In 2016, for the first time, the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation will award over three million euros In 2016, the three Composers‘ Prizes of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation will go to the Berlin- based Serbian composer Milica Djordjeviä, David Hudry from France and Gordon Kampe from Essen. Each of these awards for promising young composers is endowed with 35,000 euros. In addition, the young artists will receive portrait CDs produced according to their own individual wishes. In 2016, for the first time, the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation will award over 3.2 million euros in prize money and grants. The largest share will go towards supporting contemporary projects worldwide. The recipient of the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize, Per Nørgård, will receive 250,000 euros. Additional funds are available for the initiative ‘räsonanz – Stifterkonzerte’. Milica Djordjeviä, born in Belgrade in 1984, currently lives and works in Berlin. First she studied composition, sound engineering and production, and electronic music in Belgrade. She then concluded her postgraduate studies at the Conservatoire national de Région de Strasbourg, where she was in the class of Ivan Fedele (2007- 2009), with top marks. She took part in IRCAM’s ‘Cursus’ programme in Paris and received a scholarship from the Cité international des Arts, also in Paris. From 2011-2013 she continued her studies with Hanspeter Kyburz at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin. The surface of Djordjeviä’s pieces may seem remote, abstract and even inaccessible at first, but always transforms into an immediate, sensual listening experience. For Milica Djordjeviä, the development of her own language has much to do with recognizing her own cultural roots: both the rough timbres and the particularly narrow melodic ambit have parallels in the traditional songs of Djordjeviä’s home country. The French composer David Hudry, born in 1978, studied music at the Conservatoire de Montpellier and, in parallel, musicology at the Université Paul Valéry, likewise in Montpellier. In 2002 he graduated with a teaching qualification. I 2008 he gained the Diplôme de Formation Supérieure (DFS) in composition and new technologies with distinction at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse, where he studied with Emmanuel Nunes and Stefano Gervasoni (composition) as well as Luis Naón (electroacoustics). In 2006 he was selected for the one-year IRCAM postgraduate programme for composition and new technologies. Hudry’s works show his interest in electronics and new technologies not only as a means of producing new sounds, but also as an independent compositional tool that is applied even to the smallest details with refinement and a sure hand. Hudry’s music is also directly inspired by literature and painting – especially the work of Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky. Yet all of his pre-compositional work, however systematically and rationally it might be approached, is ultimately carried by an exceptional degree of creative intuition. Gordon Kampe was born in 1976 in Herne (North Rhine-Westphalia) , where he initially trained as an electrician. From 1998-2000 he studied composition at the Rostock Academy of Music and Theatre with Hans- Joachim Hespos and Adriana Hölszky. He then continued his studies with Nicholaus A. Huber at the Folkwang Academy in Essen. In addition, Kampe studied musicology and history at the Ruhr University in Bochum. He gained a PhD in musicology with a thesis on fairy tale operas in the 20th century. He is currently research assistant at the Folkwang University of Arts in Essen, where he is working on a habilitation [postdoctoral qualification] project on instrumentation and performance practice in the 19th and 20th century. Gordon Kampe’s work knows no fear of ‘outside’ influences – whether in historical, artistic or media terms. Kampe literally places world into music – and there is nothing that he considers fundamentally incompatible with his mode of aesthetic access. ‘Composing music’, says Kampe, ‘is usually like a game to me, often with things that – viewed from a distance – don’t belong together. When I’m working on a piece, I’ll amalgamate anything that isn’t nailed down.’ Portrait CDs Each Composers’ Prize is endowed with 35,000 euros. In addition, the young artists will receive portrait CDs produced according to their own individual wishes. The three discs, which will once again by recorded by outstanding soloists, major orchestras and renowned contemporary music ensembles, will be released in the autumn of 2016. In 2016, for the first time, the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation will award over 3.2 million euros In 2016, for the first time, the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation will award over 3.2 million euros. The majority of the funds will go towards supporting contemporary projects worldwide. Between New York and St Petersburg, Bergen and Istanbul, roughly 150 projects will receive advancement awards for their outstanding commitment to contemporary music. The largest share will go towards composition commissions, but festivals, concerts and event series as well as academic publications are also very important to the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation. Competitions, academies and workshops in which young musicians, composers and conductors can prove their ability while learning from renowned practitioners are being supported as well as pedagogically outstanding projects that make it easier for children and young people to engage with contemporary music. The next deadline for supported projects is 1 March 2016. More information about all the projects as well as the application process can be found on our homepage: www.evs-musikstiftung.ch räsonanz – Stifterkonzert 2016 on 27 February at the Prinzregententheater in Munich In 2016, for the first time, the Foundation will provide additional funds for the concert initiative ‘räsonanz – Stifterkonzert. This initiative by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation in cooperation with the LUCERNE FESTIVAL and musica viva of Bavarian Radio will start on Saturday, 27 February 2016 with a concert at the Prinzregententheater in Munich. This debut will be put on by musica viva. The SWR Symphony Orchestra of Baden-Baden and Freiburg and the SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart will appear as guests, conducted by George Benjamin in his key work Ringed by the Flat Horizon for large orchestra (1979-1980), Cummings ist der Dichter by Pierre Boulez for 16 solo voices and orchestra on a poem by E. E. Cummings, György Ligeti’s Clocks and Clouds for 12-part female choir and orchestra (1972-1973), and limited approximations, a concerto for six pianos tuned a 1/12-tones apart and orchestra (2010). The aim of the Foundation’s initiative, which will continue from 2017 with one concert per year in Munich and Lucerne, is to challenge and encourage major orchestras from international musical life in their commitment to the music of our time. ‘This initiative sends an exemplary signal, releasing energies and challenging people to shape events’, explains Winrich Hopp, Artistic Director of musica viva. Press pictures will be available to download after the concert: www.evs-musikstiftung.ch/de/presse Award Ceremony on 2 May 2016 at the Prinzregententheater in Munich The Ernst von Siemens Composers’ Prizes will be awarded to the young artists by the chair of the advisory board, Thomas Angyan (Artistic Director, Vienna Society of Music Friends), during a musical ceremony at the Prinzregententheater in Munich. Freiburg’s ensemble recherche will perform a work composed especially for the award ceremony by each of the young composers, as well as Seadrift and Scintillation by the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize winner Per Nørgård. The accolade, endowed with 250,000 euros, will be presented to the Danish composer by Michael Krüger, President of the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts. Detailed information and visual material: www.evs-musikstiftung.ch/de/presse Imke Annika List and Dr Tanja Pröbstl | +49 / (0)89 / 6 36 3 29 47 | [email protected] .