Many celebrations for Ludwig Beethoven’s 250th birthday were canceled last year. The European Culture Awards have now been awarded in Bonn, the composer’s birthplace.
Bonn (dpa) – The rock band Scorpions (“Wind of Change”) and the jazz-pop singer Katie Melua (“Piece by Piece”) have received the European Culture Prize at the Bonn Opera – along with a number of other award winners.
They include the trumpeter Till Brönner, the violinist David Garret and the soprano Diana Damrau. The director of the Tonhalle-Gesellschaft Zürich, Ilona Schmiel, was honored as well as the actor Tobias Moretti and the former Formula 1 driver Nico Rosberg.
The Bonn Beethoven Orchestra and its conductor Dirk Kaftan were also honored. The gala on Saturday in the birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven was dedicated to the anniversary year of the composer’s 250th birthday (1770-1827).
The non-endowed prize is intended to honor outstanding achievements by cultural workers. The prize donor is the European Cultural Forum in Dresden.
The European Culture Prize honors personalities, initiatives, artists, politicians or institutions for outstanding services and achievements around and for Europe and its people. The gala takes place annually in different European cultural cities.