Kronberg Academy Announces 2024 Pablo Casals Award Recipient

Violist Jennifer Stumm, founder of the artist collective and social equity initiative, Ilumina, receives €10,000

Violist Jennifer Stumm has been named the recipient of the Kronberg Academy's third Pablo Casals Award — For a Better World. Founded in 2022, the prize was established by the Cologne-based asset management company Flossbach von Storch and carries a value of €10,000. It celebrates an artist who has shown "exceptional social commitment."

Stumm won the prize for her work with Ilumina, the artist collective and social equity initiative that she founded in São Paulo in 2015. The organization selects young, South American musicians from marginalized backgrounds and pairs them with leading international artists.

These young musicians work side-by-side with the professionals at the Ilumina Festival and around the world, and many of them enter top conservatories once their time with Ilumina comes to an end.

Hailing originally from Atlanta, Jennifer Stumm studied with Karen Tuttle at the Curtis Institute of Music and the Juilliard School, with Nobuko Imai in Amsterdam, and with Steven Isserlis at IMS Prussia Cove. She is currently Professor of Viola at the Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna, and International Chair of Viola Studies at the Royal College of Music.

In 2024, the jury comprised Marta Casals Istomin, Christoph Eschenbach, Gidon Kremer, Sir András Schiff, and chairman Raimund Trenkler.

"Jennifer’s curatorial flair makes Ilumina concerts a dynamic experience characterized by cultural exchange and fresh energy," said Marcus Stollenwerk, a member of the executive board at Flossbach von Storch. "The award shows how music not only impresses through its technical brilliance, but also through its contribution to community life."

"With Ilumina, Jennifer Stumm succeeds in using music as a bridge - a bridge that transcends cultural, social and geographical boundaries and unites young talents," said Raimund Trenkler, the founder and director of Kronberg Academy. "She not only gives them a stage, but also the chance to develop in a community based on mutual learning and human exchange."

"Ilumina is a living example of how art can actively contribute to shaping a more open and united world while carrying on the legacy of Pablo Casals, who firmly believed that music could be a transformative force for society."