Munich (dpa / lby) – Markus Zwink, musical director of the Oberammergau Passion Play, will receive the Bavarian State Prize for Music this year. “Thanks to his work, there is a children’s, boys’, youth, chamber and motet choir as well as the Passion Play Choir in Oberammergau,” the jury justified its decision on Wednesday. Born in 1956, Zwink has been active in his home town of Oberammergau for decades and played a key role in the world-famous performance of the life and death of Jesus Christ alongside director Christian Stückl. The award ceremony is planned for July 5 in Munich.
Zwink received the prize in the amateur music category, as did the via-nova choir in Munich. In the professional field, the Munich Chamber Orchestra (MKO) and the ensemble Der Blaue Eumel from Würzburg will be honored this year. An undoped special prize goes to Manfred Eicher, head of the music label ECM Records (Edition of Contemporary Music), who has already received international prizes such as the Grammy Award.
Art Minister Markus Blume (CSU) thanked the award winners. “The award winners are cultural ambassadors who, with dedication and talent, carry the diversity of Bavarian music to all regions of the Free State, Germany and the whole world,” he said according to the announcement. The State Prize for Music is awarded every two years. The special prize and the professional honors are not endowed, in the amateur area there is prize money of 3000 euros each.
