The Estonian Composers Union and LHV are taking cooperation to the next level

3. February 2021

Since 2016, excellent Estonian composers have been recognised at the Estonian Music Days festival with LHV’s new musical composition award Au-tasu. The Estonian Composers Union (ECU) and LHV extended their cooperation for five more years, and will also start recognising young composers separately.

For the past five years, LHV’s monetary scholarship has been awarded to Estonian contemporary music composers for the best composition performed during the year. However, the cooperation between LHV, the Estonian Composers Union and Estonian Music Days is being taken to the next level – the current award fund will be increased, and the musical compositions of young people up to 25 years of age will additionally begin to be recognised.

The Chairman of the Estonian Composers Union, Märt-Matis Lill, welcomed the fact that the ECU has found a partner that plays a key role in contributing to the development of contemporary music. ‘As professionals in the field, we find that LHV’s new musical composition award Au-tasu has become one of the most important and prestigious contemporary music awards right now. Its reputational value in the Estonian music field is carried forward both by the high-level, high-profile jury, as well as the masterful level of Estonian musical composition that is received in the competition every year,’ said Lill.

According to LHV’s Head of Marketing, Margit Kotkas, Estonian composers and musical compositions deserve more recognition. ‘LHV is happy to continue with the appreciation of Estonian contemporary music over the next five years. For us, it is both exciting and gratifying to be able to contribute to the introduction of Estonian musical compositions and support the activities of talented composers. People such as these enrich Estonian life and culture with their creations, and make us bigger in the world,’ said Kotkas.

The purpose of LHV’s new musical composition award Au-tasu is to value active Estonian composers and to highlight new audio works worthy of international resonance. The current award amount will be increased by EUR 1,000, meaning that the winner will receive a scholarship in the amount of EUR 6,000, and a work of art from glass artist Mare Saar.

LHV will additionally begin supporting the competition ‘LHV’s Young Composer’, the aim of which is to provide young musicians who are up to 25 years of age with an opportunity to introduce their creations to a wider audience and to receive feedback from professional musicians and composers. The monetary prize of EUR 3,000 will be divided between two age groups pursuant to the decision of the jury.

This year’s LHV Au-tasu winner and ‘LHV’s Young Composer 2021’ will be determined in April, within the framework of Estonian Music Days 2021.

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