Hans Gál-Prize

With the name of the prize, the Academy and Villa Musica wish to honour the memory of the composer, musicologist and pedagogue Hans Gál (1890-1987). From 1929 until 1933, he was director of the Mainz Conservatory, which later became the Hochschule für Musik and the Peter Cornelius Conservatory. After the National Socialists seized power, Hans Gál, who was of Jewish descent, was immediately granted leave of absence and left Germany the same year. Until the annexation of Austria into the German Third Reich, the family lived in Vienna under difficult circumstances and eventually emigrated to Great Britain in 1938. In 1945, Hans Gál became a British citizen and taught at Edinburgh University until 1955. As a composer, he leaves behind a comprehensive oeuvre in the tradition of Johannes Brahms, Franz Schubert, and Johann Sebastian Bach.

The prize, which serves to promote an international young ensemble, was made possible in 2020 in honour of the Jewish composer by a foundation set up by Susanne and Andreas Barner for an initial period of five years. It is awarded jointly by the Academy and Villa Musica Rheinland-Pfalz and is endowed with 10,000 euros. The jury consists of the Academy members Professor Claudia Eder and Professor Dr. Peter Gülke as well as the artistic director of Villa Musica, Professor Alexander Hülshoff.

Prize winners