Sir George Benjamin and Alex Paxton amongst award winners at this year Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung 2023 prizes

George Benjamin (Photo: Rui Camilo © EvS Musikstiftung)

In a ceremony in the Hercules Room of the Residenz in Munich on 26 May 2023, the 2023 international Ernst von Siemens Music Prize and Composer Prizes will be awarded. The Music Prize is going to Sir George Benjamin, and the Composer Prizes go to Sara Glojnarić from Croatia, Alex Paxton from the United Kingdom and Eric Wubbels from the USA. Additionally, the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation is providing over €3.7 million in funding for new music projects worldwide.

Sir George Benjamin will receive a prize of €250,000 in recognition of a lifetime service to music both as composer and conductor. The three Composer Prizes each come with €35,000, and these go to Sara Glojnarić from Croatia, Alex Paxton from the United Kingdom, and Eric Wubbels from the USA.

At the awards ceremony, Ensemble Modern will perform Benjamin's At First Light (1982) for small orchestra and his chamber opera Into the little Hill (2006) under the composer's direction. The winners of the Composer Prizes, Sara Glojnarić, Alex Paxton and Eric Wubbels as well as the winners of the two Ensemble Prizes, the vocal ensemble Ekmeles from New York and NAMES - New Art and Music Ensemble Salzburg, will be presented in short film portraits by Johannes List and will receive their prizes from the chairman of the foundation's Board of Trustees and former artistic director of the Vienna Musikverein, Thomas Angyan.

Further details from Ernst von Siemens Stiftung website.