Pianist Igor Levit Awarded 2024 German National Prize

The prize is given to those who've made significant contributions to the unity of Germany

Established in 1993 by former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt, The German National Foundation has been awarding the German National Prize since 1997.

As this year's recipient, pianist Igor Levit will receive 30,000 Euros. Levit is a known advocate against antisemitism in Germany and plans to use the prize money for this cause.

For his political commitment, Levit has also been awarded the 5th International Beethoven Prize in 2019 followed by the “Statue B” of the International Auschwitz Committee in 2020.

Born in the Soviet Union in 1987, Levit and his family moved to Hannover in 1995. In 2018, Igor Levit was named the eighth recipient of the prestigious “Gilmore Artist Award.” He was also the youngest participant in the 2005 International Arthur Rubinstein Competition in Tel Aviv, where he won silver.

Levit is a regular soloist with ensembles such as The Cleveland Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and the Vienna Philharmonic.

In 2019, he was appointed a piano professor at his alma mater, the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover, where he graduated with the highest marks in its history.

His accolades include Gramophone's "Artist of the Year" Award and the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

In 2019, the Prize was given to another musician, cellist Anita Lasker-Wallfisch.