The Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival has announced that the 2026 Hindemith Prize, endowed with €20,000, will be awarded to Birke J. Bertelsmeier, a Berlin-based composer. In its statement, the festival highlights her “play with instability, expectation, and the creative potential of the non-perfect”, describing a catalogue shaped by subtle tension, unexpected turns, and micro-shifts in tempo and pitch that open new sonic perspectives. The jury praises her as a “sound-inventor whose music amazes, leaves conventions behind, and surprises.”
Bertelsmeier, who composed her first piece at the age of six, says she “enjoys unsettling with [her] music and making listeners pause for a moment.” In its description, the festival notes that her work often plays with “apparent mistakes” — such as a melody slipping out of rhythm — which become opportunities for new sonic perspectives. The SHMF highlights how minimal fluctuations in tempo or pitch, along with unexpected turns within simple lines, shape a musical language built on subtle tension and recalibrated expectation.
Award ceremony
The Hindemith Prize 2026 will be presented on 12 August 2026 at the KulturForum in the Stadtgalerie, Kiel, during the festival’s upcoming summer edition.
About the Hindemith Prize
Established in 1990, the international Paul Hindemith Prize promotes “outstanding contemporary composers” within the framework of the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival. Named after Paul Hindemith, the award reflects his commitment to musical education and innovation, commemorating the pedagogical spirit behind works such as Plöner Musiktag (1932).
The prize is endowed with €20,000 and includes a commission for a new work to be premiered at a future edition of the festival. It is presented by the Hindemith Foundation in Blonay (Switzerland) in collaboration with several cultural institutions and foundations in Hamburg.
Notable past winners
Over its 35-year history, the Hindemith Prize has recognised some of the most distinctive and influential voices in contemporary music. Notable recipients include:
- Olga Neuwirth (1999)
- Matthias Pintscher (2000)
- Thomas Adès (2001)
- Jörg Widmann (2002)
- Rebecca Saunders (2003)
- Lera Auerbach (2005)
- Michel van der Aa (2006)
- Dai Fujikura (2007)
- Johannes Maria Staud (2009)
- Anna Clyne (2016)
- Samy Moussa (2017)
- Clara Iannotta (2018)
- Hannah Kendall (2022)
- Lisa Streich (2024)
- Benjamin Scheuer (2025)
Subscribe to our newsletter