I’m incredibly honoured and touched to have been awarded the 2021 Happy New Ears prize from the Hans and Gertrud Zender Foundation. The composer Hans Zender (1936-2019) with his wife Gertrud Zender set up the prize referring to John Cage’s invitation to “listen without prejudice”. Awarded since 2011 in close collaboration with the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts, the musica viva series and radio station BR-KLASSIK, the prize is by nomination so it was a complete surprise! Actually, when I got the news, I assumed the email was spam; the jury is pretty heavy duty ;-). Distinguished musicologist Prof. Gianmario Borio has been awarded the foundation’s Publishing Prize which “aims to show gratitude to people who contribute to the formation of ‘new ears’ with their work.”
The award ceremony is on 28 Jan 2022 in Munich on the occasion of the premiere of my work Mary/ Transcendence after Trauma by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Johannes Kalitzke in the Musica Viva Season in a concert together with a premiere by Hans Thomalla and music by Luc Ferrari.
Mary/ Transcendence after Trauma is the second part of my Annunciation Triptych and the premiere of the full cycle of 50 minutes has also just been announced for 29 April 2022 together with Sofia Gubaidulina’s Stimmen… verstummen…, Symphony in twelve movements (1986), with the WDR Sinfonieorchester conducted by Cristian Măcelaru as part of the Achtbrueken Festival in Cologne.
exciting days…
infinite gratitude…
Liza Lim 