The jury of the 5th Basel Composition Competition announced this year’s winners. An audience award was also presented for the first time in 2025.
- hirdetés -

The winners of the 5th Basel Composition Competition have been announced. At the final concert followed by the award ceremony on 2 February in the Paul Sacher Saal at Don Bosco Basel, the jury, chaired by Michael Jarrell, honoured the following participants:
- 1. Prize: “Nine Odes to the Night” by Qianchen Lu (CHF 60 000.-)
- 2. Prize: “The Gaze of Nmemosyne” by Erqing Wang (CHF 25 000.-)
- 3. Prize: “Bird in Space” by Ramón Humet (CHF 10 000.-)
An audience award was presented for the first time, in which viewers of the live stream worldwide were able to take part alongside the viewers in Basel. The more than 600 participants decided in favour of “Nine Odes to the Night” by Qianchen Lu. The prize is endowed with CHF 5,000.
In co-operation with Universal Edition, Qianchen Lu and Erqing Wang will be included in Universal Edition and will receive the scodo subscription free of charge for one year.
The Prize Winners
- 1st Prize and Audience Award: Qianchen Lu was born in 2000 in Anhui, China. She is studying at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music (2018–2023, Bachelor; 2024–ongoing, Master) under Qian Shen-Ying. Her compositions span a wide range of genres, including vocal and choral music, instrumental solos, chamber music, and large orchestral works. She has collaborated with various ensembles and artists, including members of Ensemble Modern, the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, and the Shanghai Philharmonic Orchestra. “Qianchen Lu has succeeded in creating an exciting interaction between her musical ideas, the formal design and the temporal dimension of the composition. With a personal tonal language, she has created a work that deeply moved the jury with its emotional power. The musical construction and its architectural unity in particular left a lasting impression.”, so the president of the jury Michael Jarrell.
- 2nd Prize: Erqing Wang is a Chinese composer whose work focuses on orchestral and chamber music. He is currently studying at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz under Annesley Black. Previously, he was mentored by composers Wenchen Qin, Stratis Minakakis, and Beat Furrer.
- 3rd Prize: Ramón Humet was born in 1968 in Barcelona. His compositions reflect a deep connection to nature. He has been awarded the Olivier Messiaen International Composition Prize and the Queen Sofia Composition Prize, among others. His works have been performed by renowned ensembles such as the London Sinfonietta and the Spanish National Orchestra.
From 31 January to 1 February, the three major Basel orchestras – the Basel Chamber Orchestra conducted by Tito Ceccherini, the Basel Sinfonietta conducted by Pablo Rus Broseta and the Basel Symphony Orchestra conducted by Roland Kluttig – performed the 12 nominated works by the finalists. The jury consisted of Michael Jarrell, the Director of the Paul Sacher Foundation Dr Florian Besthorn, three representatives of the participating orchestras and the renowned composers Liza Lim, Augusta Read Thomas and Andrea L. Scartazzini. Pre-concerts were held in the Heinz Holliger Auditorium of Don Bosco Basel on 31 January and 1 February to introduce their work to the public. Students from the Basel University of Music FHNW/sonic space performed works by the two jury members Liza Lim and Augusta Read Thomas.
In the spirit of the Basel conductor Paul Sacher, who died in 1999, the competition aims to bring the most exciting composers of the 21st century to Basel. Christoph Müller’s Artistic Management GmbH organized the Basel Composition Competition for the first time in 2017 in collaboration with the Paul Sacher Foundation, which was co-initiated by Wolfgang Rihm, among others. Since 2019, the specially established Basel Composition Competition Foundation has been organizing the biennial project.
The 6th Basel Composition Competition will take place from February 10-14, 2027.
Check the livestreams here.