Jordi Savall has been named the recipient of the 2026 Ernst von Siemens Music Prize, one of the most prestigious distinctions in classical music. The announcement was made on 21 January by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation.
The jury cited Savall’s “seminal contributions to early music and historically informed performance practice,” highlighting his work as a performer, researcher, teacher, and ensemble director. Over several decades, Savall has played a central role in bringing medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque repertories to modern audiences, both through concert performance and extensive recording projects.
Born in Barcelona, Savall initially trained as a cellist before turning to the viola da gamba, later completing his studies at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basel, where he would also teach. Since the late 1960s, his career has combined performance with musicological research, particularly the study of early manuscripts. Together with the late soprano Montserrat Figueras, he founded Hespèrion XXI, Capella Reial de Catalunya, and Le Concert des Nations, ensembles that have become reference points in the historically informed performance movement. In 1998, he also launched the Alia Vox label, which has since released more than 230 recordings.
Savall’s international profile expanded significantly in the early 1990s with his soundtrack for the film Tous les matins du monde, which introduced his work to a much wider audience. In more recent years, he has increasingly linked his musical activity to social and cultural engagement. In 2018, he founded Orpheus XXI, an ensemble bringing together refugee musicians from North Africa and the Arab world, and has explored the shared musical roots of African and European traditions shaped by historical migration and the slave trade.
Established in 1972, the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize is awarded annually to a composer, performer, or musicologist whose work has made an outstanding contribution to musical life. Endowed with €250,000, it is frequently described as the “Nobel Prize of music” and has previously been awarded to figures such as Benjamin Britten, Olivier Messiaen, Claudio Abbado, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Pierre Boulez, Alfred Brendel, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Sir Simon Rattle, and Unsuk Chin. Savall will receive the prize at a ceremony in Munich on 23 May 2026.
Alongside the main award, the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation also announced the 2026 Composer Prizes, which go to Bethan Morgan-Williams, Hovik Sardaryan, and Kitty Xiao. Each prize is endowed with €35,000 and includes a digital recording release. The three composers were recognised for distinct artistic voices, ranging from rhythmically complex, landscape-inspired writing to explorations of microtonality, folk traditions, performative elements, and electronic media.
The 2026 Ensemble Prizes have been awarded to NO HAY BANDA and the Ensemble for New Music Tallinn, each receiving €75,000. Both ensembles were selected for their experimental approaches to contemporary music, including work with microtonality, alternative tunings, and interdisciplinary practices.
All prizes will be formally presented in Munich on 23 May 2026, marking another edition of an award that continues to play a central role in recognising artistic achievement and innovation across the classical and contemporary music landscape.
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