Central German Youth Music Award / Youth Music Award of the Holger Koppe Foundation

Since 2016, the Central German Youth Music Prize of the Holger Koppe Foundation has honored outstanding young music ensembles and musicians from Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia. In cooperation with the state music councils of the three federal states, an annual award with varying focal points is presented, most recently in the context of remembrance culture and the processing of the National Socialist persecution of musicians. The aim of the award is the artistic engagement with historical and social issues as well as the public visibility of emerging musical talent. The laureates present their programs in a public concert in Leipzig, which provides new impulses to established cultural venues and keeps the awareness of the past alive.

Youth and young adults who are members of a state music council within an ensemble association and whose contributions have a clear focus on remembrance culture, such as on musicians persecuted and murdered during the Nazi era, are supported. Evaluation is based on the thematic focus, musical quality, and creative implementation of the topic. The application requires a completed application form, an ensemble presentation, and a program booklet or contribution. Continuous funding opportunities enable annual participation and offer young talents from the region a sustainable platform to grow both professionally and personally while simultaneously contributing to remembrance culture.