Fritz Gerber Award

The Fritz Gerber Award supports young Swiss musicians in the field of contemporary classical music.

Established in 2015 by the Fritz Gerber Foundation and Lucerne Festival, the Fritz Gerber Award annually supports three young musicians in the field of contemporary classical music. Each winner of the award receives a cash prize of CHF 10,000, and the Foundation also makes it possible for the prizewinners to attend the Lucerne Festival Academy, which amounts to an additional value of CHF 10,000 for each winner. The candidates must have Swiss citizenship or have lived in Switzerland for a minimum of three years. The applications are sent to the Lucerne Festival Academy. The selection committee consists of Michael Haefliger, the Executive and Artistic Director of Lucerne Festival, and the composer and conductor Heinz Holliger.

The Fritz Gerber Foundation has been active since 1999. The Foundation supports talented young people who have permanent residency in Switzerland. It promotes the areas of education (including advanced college training), crafts, culture, and athletics. This support is provided in the form of financial contributions to education, advanced training, and continuing education and is intended to make a difference where public funds are not available to achieve the Foundation’s goals. Since 1999 the Fritz Gerber Foundation has supported some 2,750 talented young people by granting a total of more than CHF 32 million.