Violinist Hilary Hahn awarded $100,000 Avery Fisher Prize

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Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024, the Avery Fisher Artist Program announced on 11 January that violinist Hilary Hahn has been awarded the 2024 Avery Fisher Prize for her outstanding artistic achievement and leadership in classical music. The announcement was made by Deborah Borda, chair of the Avery Fisher Artist Program, from the stage of David Geffen Hall, following Hahn’s performance of Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto no.1 with the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Jakub Hrůša.  

’From the beginning of my career, I saw the Avery Fisher Prize as a high honour: the recipients were people who had already made a historically large impact in our field, yet had the stature, skill, and curiosity to move in any direction,’ said Hahn on her award. ’When I was awarded the Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1995, when I was 15, it felt like a recognition that this could someday be in my future. It encouraged me to push hard to have my voice heard as an artist, to expand my horizons with new projects, and to strive to deepen the artistic meaning of my work.

’Having now come full circle, I feel proud of what I have achieved as an artist, and validated that that work has been seen and recognised by my community. But most important, I feel encouraged and inspired to keep forming connections and building community with audiences, composers, and fellow artists around the world.’

As the 2024 Avery Fisher Prize recipient, Hahn receives a monetary award of $100,000. Her name will be engraved on the Avery Fisher Legacy Wall in David Geffen Hall, formerly Avery Fisher Hall, joining the 25 previous prize recipients: Lynn Harrell, cellist, and Murray Perahia, pianist (1975); Yo-Yo Ma, cellist (1978); Emanuel Ax, pianist (1979); Richard Goode, pianist (1980); Horacio Gutiérrez, pianist (1982); Elmar Oliveira, violinist (1983); Richard Stoltzman, clarinetist (1986); André Watts, pianist (1988); Yefim Bronfman, pianist (1991); Garrick Ohlsson, pianist (1994); violinists Sarah Chang, Pamela Frank, and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg (1999); double bassist Edgar Meyer and clarinetist David Shifrin (2000); violinist Midori (2001); Emerson String Quartet (2004); Joshua Bell, violinist (2007); Gil Shaham, violinist (2008); Kronos Quartet (2011); Jeremy Denk, pianist (2014); Claire Chase, flutist (2017); Leila Josefowicz, violinist (2018); and Anthony McGill, clarinetist (2020). 

Hahn was previously the recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1995. She was further honored at a celebratory post-concert dinner on the Grand Promenade of David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts by the Program’s Executive Committee, Fisher family members, and Gary Ginstling, president and CEO of the New York Philharmonic, where Hahn is the 2023-24 Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence. The ninth violinist to be awarded an Avery Fisher Prize and the fourth recipient to be announced from the stage of David Geffen Hall, Hilary Hahn now joins the Avery Fisher Artist Program’s Recommendation Board.

The Avery Fisher Artist Program was established in 1974 by the late Avery Fisher as part of a major gift to Lincoln Center and serves as a monument to Fisher’s philanthropy and love of music. The Program continues to provide recognition in two categories, the Prize and Career Grants, to outstanding U.S. instrumentalists and, since 2004, also chamber ensembles.

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