GRAND ART PRIZE 2024 OF THE STATE OF SALZBURG 

© Land Salzburg/Neumayr/Hofer                                                                                                                                                Grand Art Prize of the State of Salzburg to Alexandra Karastoyanova-Hermentin

It is the highest award that Salzburg bestows annualy, alternating between the visual arts, literature, music and performing arts. 

The Grand Art Prize is endowed with 20,000 euros and will be awarded for the seventh time this year in the music category. Deputy Governor Stefan Schnöll honoured the prizewinner as a pioneering artist: ‘This is the first time a female composer has received this recognition award and the first time a woman has ever received it in the field of music. This is a strong sign of the quality, creativity and importance of women in music. With her multi-faceted and differentiated work, she is highly deserving of the prize.’

Born in Moscow, the composer and pianist began her musical education in Russia and Bulgaria before starting her studies at the Mozarteum Salzburg in 1994. There she studied composition with Boguslaw Schaeffer and piano with Alfons Kontarsky. Since then, Karastoyanova-Hermentin has maintained a close artistic relationship with the city of Salzburg. Many of her works have been premiered at major Salzburg music festivals such as ‘Aspekte’ and ‘Dialoge’. Particularly outstanding is her orchestral work ‘Annäherung’, which she composed on behalf of the State of Salzburg for the Mozart Year 2006.