MusicalAmerica - 2020 Awards Announcement

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ANNUAL AWARDS

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	*Announcing ...* 2020 AWARD WINNERS

The Salzburg Festival at 100

Festival of the Year

Given the devastation inflicted by World War I and the disorientation that followed, the founders of the Salzburg Festival sought to create a beacon of culture for Europe and a new Austrian identity. The festival was intended to combat "crises—the crisis of meaning and loss of values, the crisis of identity of the individual human being as well as entire nations," according to Helga Rabl-Stadler, president of the festival.

Peter Mattei Vocalist of the Year The lyric beauty of Peter Mattei's voice is just the beginning: Mattei never allows us to forget what his characters are feeling. Berg’s Wozzeck, his tenth Metropolitan Opera role, will test the Swedish baritone’s skill at finding beauty while delving into the dark side.

	Sharon Isbin Instrumentalist of the Year Sharon Isbin is a trailblazer, reconfiguring the guitar’s repertoire and updating the ways classical guitarists present themselves and their instrument. She invariably brings a warm tone, precise technique, and a lively but thoughtful interpretive style to her performances.

Joan Tower Composer of the Year Trained in an era when academic modernism reigned, Joan Tower developed from a composer of intensely wrought chamber works into a creator of dramatic orchestral music that can only be described as, well, towering.

	Danish String Quartet Ensemble of the Year The Danish String Quartet members bonded around a football stuck in a tree. “It was our first challenge as a string quartet,” quips DSQ violist Asbjørn Nørgaard. Several years and first prizes later, the foursome faces a different challenge: a complete Beethoven cycle and recordings of the late quartets for ECM.

View past award winners