On Tuesday 22 November 2022, Luxembourg's Minister of Culture, Sam Tanson, announced the nominees in the five categories of the Luxembourg Music Awards 2022 (Lëtzebuerger Musekspräisser).
The creation of these new national music awards is part of the Ministry of Culture's prize policy reform, which aims to grant the artists of each artistic discipline the recognition they deserve. After the creation of the Luxembourg Theater Prize (Lëtzebuerger Theaterpräisser) in 2021 and the Luxembourg Art Prize (Lëtzebuerger Konschtpräis) awarded to Berthe Lutgen on 11 November 2022, the launch of the Luxembourg Music Prize complements this policy.
Announced on 19 September 2022, the Luxembourg Music Awards will be awarded in ten different categories, including the "National Music Award" given to an artist in the sector to reward his/her career, his/her work and his/her commitment to Luxembourgish music. This one is endowed with €10,000.
In the five other categories, the prizes refer to outstanding production in the last three years. Actors or personalities active in the music sector in Luxembourg, Luxembourgish nationals, residents or those with strong cultural roots in the country are eligible. The selection of these projects is done in a two-round procedure. For the first round, 40 "nominators" and music professionals were invited to submit their favorites. On the basis of these nominations, the shortlist of the five names of artists was established:
The shortlists in the five categories:
Luxembourg Music Award, category "New talent"
Endowed with €2,500, this prize rewards a promising career that stands out for the dynamism of its career and the excellence of its recent achievements.
The nominees are:
- Pit Brosius
- Francis of Delirium
- MAZ
- CHAILD
- Benjamin Kruithof
Luxembourg Music Award, category “Op der Bün”
Endowed with €3,500, this prize rewards one or more artists (performers and authors/authors-composers) who have presented a particularly successful musical project over the past three years.
The nominees are:
- Francis of Delirium
- MAZ
- Reis Demuth Wiltgen
- Artemandolin
- PIPES
Luxembourg Music Award, category "Hannert der Bün"
Endowed with €3,500, this prize honours the creative work of a person or a team behind the scenes on a musical project of the last three years (sound engineer, light technician, manager, producer, show manager, booker, publisher, administrator, etc.).
The nominees are:
- Stephanie Baustert
- Tom Gatti
- Charles Stoltz
- Konektis Entertainment
- Sasha Hanlet
Luxembourg Music Award, category "Leisure Music"
Endowed with €2,500, this prize rewards the exceptional merit and lasting commitment of one or a group of people who are remarkably involved in music during their leisure time, without pursuing a professional career.
The nominees are:
- Big Band OPUS78
- National Youth Orchestra
- honey syrup
- Luxembourg Philharmonic
- Festival Koll in action
Luxembourg Music Award, category "Music Media"
Endowed with €3,000, this prize rewards an outstanding project, person or team in the mediation of music and public development.
The nominees are:
- Konektis Entertainment
- OCL
- Two Steps Twice
- Beast
- Small Marnecher Festival
The National Music Award as well as the winners of each of the other five categories are decided in a second round by a jury of music professionals. For this first edition, the jury is made up of Jamie Reinert (music journalist at Radio 100.7), Tiffany Saska (head of communication and press relations at the Philharmonie), Thierry Hick (cultural journalist at the Luxemburger Wort), André Neves (founder Magestick Records – Sony/ATV) and Cathy Krier (pianist and piano teacher). The secretariat of the jury is provided by Joé Haas from the Ministry of Culture. In addition to the prize money, the winning artists will receive an original trophy created by the artist Laurie Lamborelle.
The presentation of the first Luxembourg Music Award will take place on Wednesday 21 December 2022 at the Rockhal in Esch-Belval. The ceremony, organised in collaboration with the Rockhal, will take place in the presence of the Minister of Culture, numerous artists and will be hosted by Sascha Ley and Mike Tock. It will be open to the public and free of charge, tickets will soon be available on the Rockhal website.
