Biel Culture Prize 2021 goes to strøm
At the suggestion of the Culture Commission, the municipal council is awarding the City of Biel's 2021 Culture Prize to the experimental and electro-acoustic music duo strøm - consisting of Gaudenz Badrutt and Christian Müller.
For two decades, strøm has been "one of the most important driving forces of the internationally recognized scene in Biel", according to a press release from the city of Biel. With its combination of improvisation and conceptual music, explosions of free jazz and allusions to contemporary pop, the duo has developed a daring and unique sound universe.
In addition to releasing around ten albums and numerous stage performances, strøm has also composed stage music, in particular for the Stadttheater Bern and the Schauspielhaus Wien, and designed audiovisual installations, for example for the Bieler Fototage or the Passage Kunsthaus Zürich. By awarding the prize to strøm, the municipal council wants to "honor an exemplary artistic career and pay tribute to an extremely lively and daring music scene that makes Biel a capital of experimental music", according to the press release.
Biel's municipal council awards the Culture Prize, which is endowed with CHF 10,000, every year at the request of the Culture Commission.
