Engstroem honored with the Shostakovich Prize
Martin T:son Engstroem, founder and director of the Verbier Festival in Valais, has been awarded the Dmitri Shostakovich Prize by the Yuri Bashmet Fund in Moscow. Engstroem is the first non-musician to be honored with the award.
The ceremony was held at the Pushkin Museum. According to the Verbier Festival's press release, the prize is considered one of the most important cultural awards in Russia. Engstroem receives the award for "his commitment to music and Russian performers." He is the first non-musician to be awarded the prize.
The Yuri Bashmet Fund was set up by Alexander Mitroshenkov, President of the Russian communications group Transcontinental Media, and Sergei Vasiliev, CEO of the Video International Group.
Previous recipients of the Shostakovich Prize include Tan Dun, Denis Matsuev, Yefim Bronfman, Alexei Ratmansky, Maxim Vengerov, Evgeny Kissin, Natalia Gutman, Olga Borodina, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Viktor Tretiakov, Valery Gergiev, Thomas Quasthoff and Gidon Kremer.
