Dhe Bavarian State Government has awarded the State Prize to five artists and ensembles. In the “Professional Music Making” category, the Würzburg association “Der Blaue Eumel” was honored, which brings music barrier-free and across genres to hospital wards, residential areas and children’s playgrounds. The Munich Chamber Orchestra, whose chief conductor until recently was the chairman of the prize jury, Alexander Liebreich, received an award in the same category for its stylistic variability and excellent level of interpretation. In the “Amateur Musicians” category, the choice fell on Markus Zwink, who has been the musical director of the Oberammergau Passion Play since 1990, motivating people of all ages to make music. The via-nova-chor Munich was also honored for its commitment to contemporary music, even before it found its way to professional choirs. The record producer Manfred Eicher, founder and head of the ECM Records label, received a special prize because he helped shape the course of jazz worldwide for fifty years with “visionary energy, tireless creativity and a sure feeling for individual sound aesthetics”.
