2022 Hindemith Composers Prize Announced

37-year-old British Composer Hannah Kendall will receive the award at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, in Germany

The Hindemith Prize has been awarded as part of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival since 1990 to promote outstanding contemporary composers. The award, endowed with 20,000 Euros, is to be presented on August 22, 2022, as part of a concert on the Nordart site in Rendsburg.

“To have my music recognized in this way means everything," said Kendall. "I will most likely spend the award on developing pieces that I hope will take my practice in new directions. Music that I am working on in-between commissions that I am very excited about, but am having to fund myself,” she added.

The 33rd Hindemith Prize winner convinced the jury with her broad compositional spectrum and expressive style.

"Kendall displays enormous compositional diversity, ranging from classical heritage to experimental ideas," said Dr. Christian Kuhnt, artistic director of the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival. "The richness of sound she creates with seemingly playful ease, her clear structure, energy, and lack of compromise have inspired us unreservedly. I am very pleased that Kendall will enrich the SHMF next summer as a Hindemith Prize winner."

Kendall has been able to make a name for herself with her works, especially in her home country of Great Britain. Her orchestral piece “The Spark Catchers” was premiered at the Royal Albert Hall in 2017. Her other compositions include the chamber opera “The Knife of Dawn,” choral works, and the dance piece “Labyrinthine.”

Kendall started playing the piano and violin at the age of seven. She completed a Master's degree in Advanced Composition at the Royal College of Music with Kenneth Hesketh and has worked with orchestras such as the BBC Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, and London Sinfonietta. Kendall currently lives in New York and is doing her Ph.D. in composition at Columbia University.

The jury for the 33rd edition of the award comprised Andreas Eckhardt, Karin Prien, Christian Kuhnt, Elmar Lampson, Astrid Bernickel, and Rico Gubler.

The awards ceremony and concert will be held on August 22, 2022 at NordArt in Germany. Pieces by Kendall and 2021 Hindemith prize winner, Mithatcan Öcal, will be featured at the concert. Tickets for the event will be available from February 25, 2022.

Past winners of the Hindemith Prize include Matthias Pintscher, Thomas Adès, Jörg Widmann, Lera Auerbach, Anna Clyne, Samy Moussa, and SJ Hanke.

HANNAH KENDALL | SHORT DOCUMENTARY | BAPTISTRY | PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA | 2018