On 25 September 2023 at the Kronberg Festival, the Pablo Casals Award – For a Better World will be awarded for the second time.
This year, the prize will be awarded posthumously to the pianist and conductor Lars Vogt (1970-2022) for his “Rhapsody in School” initiative.
When the Casals Forum opened at the 2022 Kronberg Festival, a new Kronberg Academy tradition was born: the annual presentation of the Pablo Casals Award – For a better world, initiated by Cologne-based asset management company Flossbach von Storch. Every year, the prize will be awarded to an artist who has shown exceptional social commitment.
The great cellist Pablo Casals (1876–1973) was a passionate advocate of peace. He lived by the maxim that art and humanity are inseparable.
“I am a man first, an artist second. My first obligation is to the welfare of my fellow man.”
He not only embodied this principle through his own life, he called on all musicians “to place the purity of their art at the service of humanity”. The self-image of the Kronberg Academy Foundation is derived from Pablo Casals’s approach: artists bear responsibility towards music, people and the planet.
Presentation of the prize is designed to support and encourage artists to follow the example set by Pablo Casals, and thereby act as inspiring role models for future generations.
The award carries prize money of €10,000, which is intended to support the project led by the winning artist. Any commitment or project honoured with the Pablo Casals sponsorship award should have recognisably great potential, to ensure that the prize money is used effectively.
The jury for the Pablo Casals Award – For A Better World is predominantly made up of members of the Kronberg Academy Foundation’s Artistic Council: Marta Casals Istomin, Christoph Eschenbach, Gidon Kremer, Sir András Schiff and chairman Raimund Trenkler. They are supported in this by the “Artists for a Better Future” initiative launched by Christoph Poppen.
Presentation of the Pablo Casals Award – For A Better World will take place on Monday, 25 September 2023 at 8.00 pm in the Casals Forum as part of CONCERT 12, “Lebenswerk” (Lifework).
