Sabina Schmuki honored in Latvia
Sabina Schmuki was awarded third prize for her composition "Ave Terra" in the children's choir category at the choral composition competition to mark the 100th anniversary of the ISCM.
The girls' choir Tiara in the studios of Latvian National Radio together with the award winners and jury members. Photo: Latvijas Radio
At the choral composition competition for the 100th anniversary of the ISCM (International Society for Contemporary Music, IGNM), the Swiss composer Sabina Schmuki was awarded 3rd prize ex aequo in the children's choirs category. Four different ISCM country sections organize the competition in four categories: mixed amateur choirs (ISCM Basque Country), mixed professional choirs (ISCM Estonia), male/female choirs (ISCM Switzerland) and children's choirs (ISCM Latvia) (SMZ reported).
Jury and results
Conductor Aira Birziņa and composers Uģis Prauliņš and Āriks Ešenvalds were on the jury for the Latvian section of the competition. A total of 25 works were submitted from Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Finland, the Netherlands, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Israel and the USA.
1st place - not awarded
2nd place - Zuzanna Kozeja (Poland) - Laus Trinitati
3rd place - Renāte Stivriņa (Latvia/Poland) - Ave Maris stella
3rd place - Sabina Schmuki (Switzerland) - Hail Terra
3rd place - Alfred Momotenko-Levitsky (Netherlands) - When you ask me
World premiere of Hail Terra
The Tiara girls' choir from Riga Cathedral brought Hail Terra in the 1st studio of Latvian Radio (Latvijas Radio) under the direction of Aira Birzina. This choir is one of the world's best girls' choirs and recently won 1st prize at the 53rd choir competition in Tolosa.
Sabina Schmuki has been Hail Terra the idea of the "Ave Maria" and from it the Hail Terra developed. "An unorthodox approach to creation and climate change" is the subtitle. The piece also calls on the listener to be mindful and to turn back. It is the second work that Schmuki has dedicated to this topic. Previously, she wrote a piece for male choir in Rhaeto-Romanic against the backdrop of the dramatic landslide in Gondo and the problem of dwindling permafrost.
Video link to premiere:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYBhzLqLxoo
