Composer Prizes Awarded to Bethan Morgan-Williams, Hovik Sardaryan, and Kitty Xiao

This year’s Composer Prizes are awarded to Bethan Morgan-Williams, Hovik Sardaryan, and Kitty Xiao. The Curatorium of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation has decided to honor three very different young composers. Each Composer Prize is endowed with €35,000 and additionally includes a digital recording release.

Based in Wales, Bethan Morgan-Williams(*1992) draws on the contrast between rural calm and urban intensity in her music. Her works are multilayered and rhythmically complex, guiding listeners through carefully structured and varied musical landscapes.

Hovik Sardaryan(*1993) grew up in Armenia and lives in Berlin. His works repeatedly draw on his Armenian heritage, incorporating traditional instruments and folk melodies. He also explores unconventional tunings and microtonality, creating a distinctive, personal sound in complex and often expansive compositions.

Kitty Xiao(* 1989) was born in Australia and has been living in New York since 2022. Her work is strongly shaped by an engagement with the human body and embodied experience. Many of her compositions have a performative character. Her musical thinking focuses on the exploration of electronic media.

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