Joshua Bell is the recipient of the 2019 “Glashütte Original MusicFestivalAward”
US-American violinist is this year’s award winner
The
violinist Joshua Bell is one of the great performers of our times;
since his Carnegie Hall debut in 1985, he has been able to look back on
performances with almost all the major orchestras and conductors in the
world. His concept of music as a means of trans-cultural understanding
plays a central role in the school reform project “Education Through
Music and Turnaround Arts” of the NAMM Foundation, enabling
disadvantaged children to gain access to classical music in many
different ways. In addition, Bell is active in mentoring the string
players of the National YoungArts Foundation, a charitable organization
supporting rising young artists at high schools, and teaches at his own
alma mater, the Jacobs School of Music. For these outstanding efforts
and activities, Joshua Bell will receive the “Glashütte Original
MusicFestivalAward” during this year’s 42nd Dresden Music Festival. The
prize will be presented to him as part of his appearance at the
Frauenkirche on May 27, 2019.
“I have known Joshua Bell since
1989, when we met at the Marlboro Music Festival and would sight-read
Schubert trios together during our spare time. Joshua has remained true
to himself and reaches classical music fans of all generations and
nationalities with his poetic style of playing the violin. Today he is
one of the most charismatic and successful musicians in the world, and I
am delighted that we are able to honour his work with the ‘Glashütte
Original MusicFestivalAward’ this year,” says Jan Vogler, Intendant of
the Dresden Music Festival.
Bearing a prize money of 25,000
Euros, the “Glashütte Original MusicFestivalAward” will be donated by
the watch manufactory Glashütte Original for the 16th time in 2019 and
presented in cooperation with the Dresden Music Festival. As in past
years, the award trophy is manufactured by two students at the company’s
own “Alfred Helwig” School of Watchmaking.
Recent prize winners
have included such artist personalities as Sir Simon Rattle and the
Berlin Philharmonic, Hélène Grimaud, Hilary Hahn, the fado singer
Mariza, Andris Nelsons, Steven Isserlis and Joyce DiDonato.
The Dresden Music Festival takes place from May 16 to June 10, 2019.