Musicians' Literary Award
To encourage access to classical music, a Musicians' Literary Prize was created this year in France. Each year, the prize will be awarded to two books - a novel and an essay - that foster the understanding and love of classical music. Payerne-born Etienne Barilier is in the running.
Awarded by a jury of musicians, this new prize pays tribute to those who bring music to life on a daily basis, and aims to strengthen the links between artists and audiences. It is a readers' prize, and each year the jury will bring together personalities who are ambassadors for French musical and artistic life: soloists, composers, members of major French orchestras and a writer. The members of the jury for this first edition are: Richard Galliano, Dana Ciocarlie, Philippe Hersant, Jean-Claude Pennetier, Céline Moinet, Nora Cismondi, Elodie Guillot, Christelle Hammache, Jérôme Pinget, Constantin Serban and writer Véronique Olmi.
The selection of books has been placed, first and foremost, under the sign of accessibility. It comprises four novels: Mahler is finished well (Frédéric Chaslin), The Bridgetower Sonata (Emmanuel Dongala), Erik Satie's umbrellas (Stéphanie Kalfon), Madame Pylinska and Chopin's secret (Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt); and four essays: Exile and music (Etienne Barilier), The winter voyage (Ian Bostridge), Claude Debussy (Philippe Cassard) and Mozart's love dictionary (Eve Ruggieri).
The award ceremony will take place on November 23, 2018 at the Philharmonie de Paris, in partnership with the Association Française des Orchestres, to mark the 10th anniversary of Orchestres en Fête! The award was created by Alexandra Diaconu, director of Legato Agency, as a tribute to the artistic encounters that have influenced her path.
