Jordi Savall has been awarded with the recognized Ernst von Siemens Prize for Music 2026 for a trajectory of exceptional contributions to music. According to the foundation who grants this recognition, the Catalan musician has made fundamental contributions to early music as a performer, scholar and musical ambassador, and his concerts and recordings are considered benchmarks within his field. It is also noteworthy that, as a teacher and training director, he has trained generations of musicians from all over the world and that his music for the historical film Tous les matins du monde (1991) gave him international recognition and introduced his work to audiences around the world.
Endowed with 250,000 euros, the award will be presented in a ceremony on May 23 at the Prinzregententheater in Munich. There will be a concert with Hespèrion XXI and The Royal Chapel of Cataloniadirected by Savall and the violinist Edouard Mätzener will make an intervention on the figure of the Catalan maestro and what he represents to the world of music.
The Ernst von Siemens Foundation, based in Switzerland, supports festivals, concerts, academies, new compositions, symposia and musicological publications. It has been awarding these prizes since 1973 and, in this edition, the total endowment reaches 4.3 million euros.
This award is in addition to the tribute given to him by the Berlin Philharmonic, one of the most prestigious orchestras in the world, which recognizes his essential contribution to the recovery of musical heritage and his career as a performer, conductor and popularizer. The tribute marks Savall’s debut as guest conductor of the Philharmonic, which has dedicated a series of six concerts to him.
The concerts, five of which have already been held, have combined their three exceptional facets: solo performer of viola da gamba, director in front of the Berlin orchestra and mentor of young musicians with the Karajan-Akademie.
On March 16, a extraordinary concert in the Main Room he will put the finishing touch on the tribute. This evening will be dedicated entirely to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and will be performed by Le Concert des Nations, with original instruments, and La Capella Nacional de Catalunya. It will be a unique occasion to rediscover the beauty and depth of Mozart through the historical interpretation and with the instruments of his time.
