In 2022, the Vorarlberg Culture Prize was announced for the eighth time. This year, it is dedicated to the field of contemporary music interpretation. Hanna Bachmann, Raphael Brunner, Nikolaus Feinig, Paul Moosbrugger, Guy Speyers and Monica Tarcsay were nominated through a selection process by the state’s extended art commission.
The international jury, consisting of Boglárka Pecze, Jean-Pierre Collot and Uli Fussenegger, evaluated the performing musicians within the framework of the ORF preselection and finally determined the prize winners.
This year, Raphael Brunner and Paul Moosbrugger are honoured with recognition prizes worth 2,500 euros. These are awarded as part of the Vorarlberg Culture Prize.
Member of the jury and presenter of the prize-giving speech Boglárka Pecze had this to say about Paul Moosbrugger: “… His already quite mature musical artistic personality has made a deep impression on us. He is only 20, but he plays with the musical understanding of a more experienced musician.... he has a special kind of charisma. He shows how important new music and music making is to him...”
Boglárka Pecze about Raphael Brunner: “… with his positive charisma, natural demeanour and the evident joy he takes in playing on stage, he is certainly the heart and soul musician of the year for us. We were treated to a virtuoso programme, in which his extraordinary technical skills on the instrument were never presented in a showy way...”
This year, the main prize of 10,000 euros will be awarded to Nikolaus Feinig.
In her prize-giving speech, Boglárka Pecze had this to say about Nikolaus Feinig: “… he impressed us a great deal with his versatile personality. His inward concentration while he was playing, his courage to compete with a programme for double bass solo in the audition, as well as his musical and technical maturity leave no doubt that the 2022 Vorarlberg Culture Prize will go to an exceptional artist. I particularly welcome his programme choices. As a double bass player, he isn’t able to choose from hundreds of works like players of many other instruments. The task of expanding this repertoire is in the hands of artists like him. And we, the jury, would like to encourage him in this direction... The structure of his programme was very carefully thought out, there was a special poetry in the room…”
The Vorarlberg Culture Prize is a cooperation between Casino Bregenz, Dornbirner Sparkasse, the State of Vorarlberg and ORF Vorarlberg. The award supports innovative formats and genres. It is also intended to offer emerging artists a worthy platform to present their artistic work. The award is presented annually, with the art genre to be awarded being redefined each year. The Short Story category will be the next category for the 2023 Vorarlberg Culture Prize, as announced by the prize sponsors, Casino Bregenz director Bernhard Moosbrugger and Martin Jäger, board director of the Dornbirner Sparkasse.