Conductor and university professor Nicolás Pasquet has received the Würth Prize from Jeunesses Musicales Germany (JMD). The Uruguayan-born conductor has inspired young musicians and guided new generations of conductors in how to ignite the spark of musical inspiration from their podium, JMD President Johannes Freyer said in a statement released by the Würth Group on Friday.

Nicolás Pasquet and the Hessian State Youth Symphony Orchestra

The €25,000 prize was presented to Pasquet on Thursday evening at the Carmen Würth Forum in Künzelsau-Gaisbach. "Nicolás Pasquet deserves this prize because he has dedicated his life not only to music, but above all to people who grow through music, find their own path, and develop their personalities," said Martijn Dendievel, chief conductor of the Flanders Symphony Orchestra, in his laudatory speech.

Following the award ceremony, the prize winner and the conducting assistant Leonard Wacker conducted the Hessian State Youth Symphony Orchestra, whose chief conductor Pasquet was from 2009 to 2024.

Born in Montevideo in 1958, Pasquet taught as a professor of orchestral conducting at the Franz Liszt University of Music in Weimar from 1994 to 2024. The institution is considered one of the most important training grounds for conductors in Europe, a reputation inextricably linked to Pasquet's work, it was stated.

The Würth Prize has been awarded annually since 1991 to artists, ensembles, and projects that exemplify the values ​​and goals of Jeunesses Musicales Germany. Past recipients include musicians such as cellist Sol Gabetta, violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja, percussionist Martin Grubinger, and pianist Lars Vogt, as well as ensembles such as the German National Youth Orchestra, the German Chamber Philharmonic Bremen, the German String Philharmonic, and most recently, the International Youth Symphony Orchestra Bremen.

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