Josef Gnos awarded the Obwalden Culture Prize
The Government Council of the Canton of Obwalden has awarded the Obwalden Culture Prize to music promoter and conductor Josef Gnos from Sarnen. He receives the prize of CHF 5000 for his work in the canton of Obwalden and far beyond.
Born in Hergiswil in 1945, Josef Gnos completed an apprenticeship as a civil engineering draughtsman and then obtained a diploma in clarinet and wind music direction. He received his training in clarinet from Giuseppe Mercenati and in wind music direction from Albert Benz at the Lucerne Conservatory. From 1973 to 2010 he was head of the Sarnen Music School. He was also head of wind music studies at the Lucerne School of Music for many years. He is still active today as a guest conductor, expert, juror, author and speaker.
Josef Gnos conducted many important orchestras, including the Symphonic Wind Orchestra of the Swiss Army, the National Youth Wind Orchestra and the Lucerne Orchestra Society. However, he also cultivated many other musical genres such as folk music, classical music - for example as a board member and artistic advisor to the Chamber Music Festival erstKlassik on Lake Sarnen - or jazz.
Since 2008, Josef Gnos has conducted the Lucerne Seniors' Orchestra (a romantic ensemble of around 65 musicians), with which he gives around ten concerts a year, accompanies young soloists and which enjoys great popularity.
The Obwalden Culture Prize is not awarded at regular intervals. As a rule, it is awarded approximately every three years. To date, it has been awarded to Caspar Diethelm (1969), Brother Xaver Ruckstuhl (1971), Dr. August Wirz (1973), Meinrad Burch-Korrodi (1977), Zita Wirz (1983), Julian Dillier (1990), Bepp Haas (1990), Franz Bucher (1996), Eugen Bollin (1999), Adrian Hossli (2003), Karl Imfeld (2006), Ruedi Rymann (2007), Alois Spichtig (2010) and Romano Cuonz (2013).
