British cellist Steven Isserlis has been named as the winner of the 2017 Glashütte Original MusicFestivalAward. Worth €25,000, the award will be presented at the Dresden Music Festival on 23 May, when Isserlis will perform Prokofiev's Cello Concerto in E minor with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Vladimir Jurowski.
In its citation, the award's organisers praised Isserlis's work geared towards young people. 'In addition to his performances as a celebrated concert soloist with the world’s leading orchestras and conductors, composing and playing for children are important focal points of his work,' it said. 'Furthermore, he has published three books for children recounting the lives of famous composers in an anecdotal and informative manner, and he gives masterclasses all over the world. Doubtless, this makes Steven Isserlis one of the “torchbearers† of the international classical music scene.'
The Glashütte Original MusicFestivalAward has been awarded by by the Dresden Music Festival and the Glashütte Original watchmaking company since 2004. According to the organisers it honours 'the lifetime achievements of artists who have dedicated themselves to the creative arts and have made these the subject of continuous development'. Previous winners of the award include violinists Hilary Hahn and Gidon Kremer, and conductors Kurt Masur, Gustavo Dudamel, Andris Nelsons and Simon Rattle, whose award was shared with the Berlin Philharmonic.
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