Swiss Grand Prix Music 2023 goes to Erik Truffaz
Erik Truffaz receives the Swiss Grand Prix Music 2023, an award presented by the Federal Office of Culture in recognition of "a versatile and innovative musician who brings together artists from a wide variety of genres".
According to the federal government's press release, Erik Truffaz "does not allow himself to be held back by genre boundaries as a musician". Born near Geneva in 1960, the trumpeter combines jazz with hip-hop, drum'n'bass, pop and electronica in his "innovative and accessible compositions". Since his album "Bending New Corners" was released in 1999 on the legendary Blue Note label, he has been one of the outstanding personalities in recent jazz history. Truffaz has worked with a wide variety of musicians, including the singers Rokia Traoré and Sophie Hunger (Swiss Grand Prix Music 2016).
The winners of the 2023 Swiss Music Awards are
Carlo Balmelli (Arogno, Ticino) has been an important figure in wind music in Switzerland for decades. The musician, composer and instrument inventor Mario Batkovic (Bern) defies categorization and uses his accordion to develop music that touches on genres as diverse as classical, ambient, minimal music and metal. Lucia Cadotsch (Zurich) is one of the outstanding voices of contemporary jazz. She is constantly reinventing herself with her innovative and relevant projects. The four musicians of Ensemble Nikel (CH, ISR, USA, DE) Brian Archinal, Yaron Deutsch, Antoine Françoise and Patrick Stadler strive for a renewal of chamber music with their exploratory work. As a DJ and producer of electronic music, Sonja Moonear (Geneva) is one of the most recognized personalities on the scene with her combination of house, techno and experimental sounds. The composer Katharina Rosenberger (Zurich) challenges our listening habits with her art and sound sculptures and draws our attention to our own perception of music. As an improviser and singer with an exceptional voice, Saadet Türköz (Zurich) has established herself as one of the most influential personalities on the independent Swiss music scene thanks to influences from various musical traditions.
Special music prizes
The special prizes are awarded to important institutions and players in the Swiss music scene. They recognize personalities, venues, labels or educational projects that actively promote the status of music, the promotion of music creation and the dissemination of cultural heritage in Switzerland.
The Special Prizes Music 2023 go to:
The Helvetiarockt association, which campaigns for equal opportunities and more visibility for women, inter, non-binary, trans and agender people in jazz, pop and rock;
The Kunstraum Walcheturm, an independent cultural venue in Zurich that is of particular importance to the experimental cultural scene;
The rapper Pronto, who is one of the most influential personalities in the young Swiss trap and Afrobeat scene.
