Prizewinners Announced at Germany's Der Deutsche Musikwettbewerb

Cellist Philipp Schupelius and soprano Eva Zalenga were named as the recipients of the main prize

Der Deutsche Musikwettbewerb / the German Music Awards (DMW) is a national music competition in Germany for classical soloists and chamber music ensembles held annually by the Deutscher Musikrat. First held in 1975, it is considered the most important competition for young musicians in Germany.

This year's award went to the young cellist Philipp Schupelius and the soprano Eva Zalenga.

2023 marks the fifth year in a row that the award has been won by a student (Philipp Schupelius) of Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, who teaches cello at the Kronberg Academy. Schmidt's past students who also received the award include Friedrich Thiele and Sebastian Fritsch.

Born in Berlin in 2003, Philipp Schupelius made his debut in 2017, performing Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations with the Bergische Symphoniker in a concert that was broadcast by WDR. He has appeared as a soloist at the Tonhalle Zurich, the Festival Next Generation, the Konzerthaus Berlin, the Philharmonie Berlin, the Dresden Music Festival, the KKL Lucerne, and the Rheingau Music Festival.

Schupelius has found success at a number of competitions, including receiving the "First Great Award" at the Manhattan International Music Competition in November 2020. In February 2020, he was also awarded the "Discovery Award" of the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA).

Soprano Eva Zalenga studied with Edward Randall and Olaf Bär at the Academy of Music in Dresden, and with Caroline Stein at the Academy of Music in Leipzig. She was a prizewinner at the SWR Young Opera Stars 2023 and was awarded the Emmerich Smola Förderpreis, as well as the Orchestra Prize of the German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra