The Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation mourns the loss of Peter Gülke.
27.4.2026
Peter Gülke received the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize in 2014.
“He is certainly the most erudite of conductors and the most outstanding conductor among contemporary musicologists. Just as music and language are in a constant interplay for him, so is he himself as much a man of music as of language, and as a scholar, despite all his scientific rigor, a master of words: musician, scholar, and writer all in one.”
Ilona Schmiel, Chairwoman of the Curatorium, pays tribute to Peter Gülke: “My personal experience with Peter Gülke highlights his exceptional skill as a music educator. For many years, he supported the orchestra programs of Deutsche Welle and the Beethovenfest Bonn during my tenure as artistic director. I have rarely encountered such a skilled conductor and, at the same time, knowledgeable musicologist who saw himself as a bridge-builder for youth orchestras from China, Poland, Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, and South Africa, among others. He was able to draw out an astonishing level of musicality and enthusiasm from these ensembles in a very short time. The young musicians appreciated his expertise, his strong communication skills, and his sense of humor in equal measure.
With Peter Gülke’s passing, we lose a “uomo universale.”