Awards: Ernst von Siemens Music Prize for Sir Simon Rattle

Sir Simon Rattle will be honored for his life’s work with the international Ernst von Siemens Music Prize. The German-British musician is one of the most important and influential conductors of our time, the prize donors explained their decision a few days before Rattle’s 70th birthday on Sunday (January 19th). The Berliner-by-choice is to receive the prestigious honor worth 250,000 euros on May 17 in Munich. The eulogy will be given by Jamaican opera singer Sir Willard White.

Prize money for orchestra project

“This makes me dizzy, this is really extraordinary, very touching,” Rattle said. He wants to put the 250,000 euros in prize money into a project for his orchestra: BRSO hip. This is an abbreviation for “historically informed performance”. According to the orchestra, the aim is to expand the repertoire to include baroque music, played on historical instruments. A first concert is planned for February 9th, with three cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach.

Rattle stands for outstanding interpretations and is open to different musical genres, the foundation judged. His repertoire is exceptionally broad and includes symphonic works from classical and romantic as well as baroque works. Rattle is also committed to new music and regularly includes compositions from the 20th and 21st centuries in his programs. And he is incomparably committed to outreach work to make classical music accessible to as many people as possible.

The director of Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), Katja Wildermuth, called the honor a “more than worthy gift for her 70th birthday.” “For us he is the perfect chief conductor: full of energy, full of passion, full of ideas and with full halls the guarantee for an enthusiastic audience,” said Wildermuth.

Millions in funding

The private Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation (EvS), based in Switzerland, has presented the award every year since 1973. In addition to the main prize, there are also sponsorship prizes in the ensemble and composition categories. The institution also supports music projects worldwide, for example for young musicians or for composition commissions. In 2025, the foundation says it will award funds totaling four million euros.

The foundation was founded in 1972 by Ernst von Siemens. The following year a prize was awarded for the first time – to the composer Benjamin Britten (“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”). Honorees in later years included the violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, the conductor Mariss Jansons and the composer Hans Werner Henze.