Switzerland’s 2023 Fritz Gerber Award Names Winners

Cellist Elide Sulsenti is one of three winners of the award, which includes a CHF 10,000 cash prize and a scholarship to attend the Lucerne Festival Academy 

Founded in 2015 by the Fritz Gerber Foundation and Lucerne Festival, the Fritz Gerber Award annually supports three emerging artists, aged 28 and under, in contemporary classical music. 

As a 2023 recipient, cellist Elide Sulsenti will receive a scholarship to participate in the Lucerne Festival Academy valued at CHF 10,000, plus an additional cash prize of CHF 10,000.

Born in 1999 in Catania, Italy, Sulsenti has studied at the Conservatorio di Musica di Cagliari and the Franz Liszt Academy of Music with Oscar Piastrelloni and Miklos Perenyi. Currently attending the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana, she has appeared at many festivals as a soloist and chamber musician, and been a member of Frankfurt’s International Ensemble Modern Academy.

The two other recipients of the award are Swiss trombonist Romain Nussbaumer and American percussionist Noah Rosen. 

All three winners will participate in the 2023 Summer Festival of the annual Lucerne Festival Academy, during which they will study contemporary scores and modern classics with fellow students, plus join the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra (LFCO) with Academy alumni.

“I am very grateful and honored to receive this year’s Fritz Gerber Award,” Sulsenti posted on Facebook. “This prize wouldn’t have been possible without the huge support [from the] Lucerne Festival, [the jury, and] my teacher Enrico Dindo and the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana.”

The Award jury comprises Lucerne Festival’s executive and artistic director Michael Haefliger, and composer and conductor Heinz Holliger.

Formed in 1999, the Fritz Gerber Foundation for Gifted Young People sponsors those in skilled crafts and trades, culture, and athletics. Over the past 24 years, the organization has supported over 2,500 young people with more than CHF 31.7 million.