The Würth Prize of Jeunesses Musicales Germany (JMD) will be awarded this year to conductor and university professor Nicolás Pasquet. The Uruguayan-born Pasquet is one of the most influential conducting instructors of our time, the Würth Foundation announced on Tuesday.

Nicolás Pasquet

The €25,000 prize will be presented to Pasquet on August 6th at the Carmen Würth Forum in Künzelsau-Gaisbach. Following the ceremony, the award winner will conduct the Hessian State Youth Symphony Orchestra, of which he was chief conductor 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 now considered one of the most important training grounds for conductors in Europe, a reputation inextricably linked to Pasquet's work.

Pasquet's quality and strength, according to the award citation, lies in his profound, highly musical conducting style, technically committed to musical expression and communication with the musicians, "far removed from any maestro attitude." He also particularly encourages his students to work with youth orchestras, "because it demands the virtues of a good conductor: being a mediator of music rather than a podium hero.".

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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