Prize Winners Announced at Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation

Two groups have received the Munich-based foundation’s 2021 ensemble prize in addition to €75,000 to extend their artistic and professional work in contemporary music

The Ernst von Siemens (EvS) Music Foundation’s ensemble prize was introduced in 2020 and is awarded annually to two emerging contemporary music ensembles whose majority of members must be aged 35 and under.

The winners of the award are Poland’s Spółdzielnia Muzyczna and the UK’s Explore Ensemble. The prize will enable them to continue to program music creatively and foster mentorships with young composers. 

Formed in 2013, current members of Spółdzielnia Muzyczna include Małgorzata Mikulska, Tomasz Sowa, Krzysztof Guńka, Wiktor Krzak, Mateusz Rusowicz, Paulina Woś, Barbara Mglej, Jakub Gucik, Aleksander Wnuk, Martyna Zakrzewska, Piotr Peszat, and Olga Brewka.

They have performed in events such as the International Festival of Contemporary Music “Warsaw Autumn,” Kraków’s Sacrum Profanum, ELEMENTI, Musica Moderna, NeoArte, and Festival of Traditional and Avantgarde Music ‘KODY’ in Gdańsk.

“We’re enormously happy to share the news: we have been awarded the 2021/2022 Ernst von Siemens Ensemble Prize!” the ensemble posted on Facebook. “We believe that this invaluable help will extend the reach of our activities and make contemporary music a vital part of our domestic cultural landscape.”

Explore Ensemble comprises Taylor MacLennan, Alex Roberts, Sarah Park, Siwan Rhys, David López Ibáñez, Morag Robertson, and Deni Teo. The group was founded in 2012 at the Royal College of Music. This concert season, they will make several festival debuts as part of their European tour to Belgium, the Netherlands, and the UK.

“It’s a great privilege to receive this support and recognition from the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation in 2021, particularly against the backdrop of our recent experiences in the pandemic,” said Explore Ensemble’s co-founder and artistic director Nicholas Moroz. 

“It’s an honor indeed that we now have this possibility, thanks to this award, to invest in our own sustainable development, which will ensure that Explore Ensemble's hunger for discovery, creation, and sharing with others remains at the core of who we are,” he added.

Established in 1972, the EvS Music Foundation promotes contemporary music internationally and its first music prize was awarded to composer Benjamin Britten. 

Last year’s recipients of the ensemble prize were the UK’s Riot Ensemble and Lithuania’s Synaesthesis.