Sebastian Küchler-Blessing, who was born in Fribourg in 1987 and has already won prestigious prizes, studied at the music academies in Trossingen and Karlsruhe and is currently studying at the Freiburg University of Music.

According to a press release from the LSO, equal weighting was given to originality in interpretation, instrumental excellence and a strong artistic personality when selecting the prizewinner.

The Arthur Waser Prize is endowed with prize money of CHF 25,000. The winner also receives a performance with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra at the KKL Lucerne. The concert will be recorded live and released on CD.

The Arthur Waser Foundation was established in 1999 as a non-profit charitable foundation as part of Arthur Waser's succession plan. It supports social projects in the third world, particularly Africa, as well as art and cultural projects in Central Switzerland. The foundation and the LSO have worked closely together for many years. In 2008, Arthur Waser became involved with the LSO as one of the foundation's founders. In 2011, a joint concept for lunch concerts at the KKL Lucerne was developed.