Neeme Järvi Prize
Three prize winners at the 10th Neeme Järvi Prize
In summer 2025, ten conductors, who are among the most talented of their generation, had the unique opportunity to work with the internationally renowned Gstaad Festival Orchestra as part of the Gstaad Conducting Academy. Under the direction of Jaap van Zweden, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla and Johannes Schlaefli, they rehearsed Brahms' Symphony No. 3 and Dvořák's Symphony “From the New World” as well as Richard Strauss' “Don Juan” and Shostakovich's powerful Symphony No. 5.
At the closing concert on August 14, 2025, in the Gstaad Festival Tent, three of this year's ten participants were awarded the Neeme Järvi Prize: Simon Clausse (2000) from France won a guest conducting position at the Musikkollegium Winterthur in the Neeme Järvi Prize competition. Shira Samuels-Shragg (1997) will have the opportunity to perform with the Basel Symphony Orchestra. The main winner, Joséphine Korda (1996) will be able to complete her guest conducting engagements with the Basel Chamber Orchestra, the Philharmonie Südwestfalen, the Orchestre de chambre de Lausanne, and the Biel Solothurn Symphony Orchestra.
The jury for the 2025 Neeme Järvi Prize consisted of chairman Christoph Müller (artistic director of the Gstaad Menuhin Festival & Academy), professors Jaap van Zweden and Johannes Schlaefli from the Gstaad Conducting Academy, representatives of the Gstaad Festival Orchestra (Vlad Stănculeasa and Immanuel Richter), and representatives of the partner orchestras. These include the Bern Symphony Orchestra, the Musikkollegium Winterthur, the Basel Chamber Orchestra, the Basel Symphony Orchestra, and the Biel Solothurn Symphony Orchestra. The Orchestre de chambre de Lausanne and the Philharmonie Südwestfalen were represented in absentia in the jury.
Neeme Järvi Prize 2025 - Final Concert
Joséphine Korda, Shira Samuels-Shragg, Simon Clausse (Photo: Raphael Faux)
The Neeme Järvi Prize
The Neeme Järvi Prize – 2025 already awarded for the tenth time – offers active participants at the Gstaad Conducting Academy the special chance of being invited as guest conductor for professional orchestras.
The partner orchestras will invite the respective winners to act as guest conductor in the following season.
Throughout the entire duration of the Gstaad Conducting Academy the active participants will be under the surveillance of the instructors and the festival management. Moreover, representatives of the partner orchestras will be invited to gain an impression of the participating conductors.
Participants selected throughout the entire period will then conduct the GFO in the Gstaad Conducting Academy’s closing concert that takes place on 14 August 2025 in the Gstaad Festival Tent.
Right after the concert, the jury will elect and present the winners of Neeme Järvi Prize 2025. The jury will be composed of the Academy’s professors, Artistic Director Christoph Müller, representatives of the partner orchestras and representatives of the Gstaad Festival Orchestra.
Winners of the Neeme Järvi Prize 2025
Joséphine Korda (GB): Guest conductor of the Kammerorchester Basel, Philharmonie Südwestfalen, dem Orchestre de chambre de Lausanne und im Sinfonie Orchester Biel Solothurn
Shira Samuels-Shragg (US): Guest conductor of the Sinfonieorchester Basel
Simon Clausse (FR): Guest conductor of the Musikkollegium Winterthur
Winners of the Neeme Järvi Prize 2024
Gabriel Perner (CH): Guest conductor of the Sinfonie Orchester Biel Solothurn, Kammerorchester Basel, the Philharmonie Südwestfalen and the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne
Alizé Léhon (FR): Guest conductor of the Musikkollegium Winterthur and the Sinfonieorchester Basel
Omer Ein Zvi (IL): Guest conductor of the Berner Symphonieorchester
Winners of the Neeme Järvi Prize 2023
Aurel Dawidiuk (GE): Guest conductor of the Kammerorchester Basel, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne and Sinfonie Orchester Biel Solothurn
Anna Sułkowska-Migoń (PL): Guest conductor of the Berner Symphonieorchester, Musikkollegium Winterthur and Sinfonie Orchester Biel Solothurn
Yukuang Jin (CHN): Guest conductor of the Philharmonie Südwestfalen
Winners of the Neeme Järvi Prize 2022
Izabelė Jankauskaitė (LT): Guest conductor of the Berner Symphonieorchester, the Sinfonie Orchester Biel Solothurn, the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne and the Musikkollegium Winterthur
Kyrian Friedenberg (US): Guest Conductor of the Kammerorchester Basel
Samy Rachid (FR): Guest Conductor of the Sinfonie Orchester Biel Solothurn
Daniel Huertas (ES): Guest Conductor of the Philharmonie Südwestfalen
Winners of the Neeme Järvi Prize 2021
Andreas Ottensamer (AUT): Guest conductor of the Sinfonieorchester Basel and Kammerorchester Basel
Andreas Hansson (SWE): Guest Conductor of the Orchestra de Chamber de Lausanne and the Philharmonie Südwestfalen
Jakub Przybcień (PL): Promotion prize, Guest Conductor of the Berner Symphonieorchester and the Sinfonie Orchester Biel Solothurn
Winners of the Neeme Järvi Prize 2019
Teresa Riveiro Böhm (AUT/ESP): Guest conductor of the Kammerorchester Basel
Hankyeol Yoon (KOR): Guest conductor of the Sinfonieorchester Basel
Jonas Bürgin (CH): Promotion prize, Guest Conductor of the Berner Symphonieorchester
Winners of the Neeme Järvi Prize 2018
Andrew Joon Choi (USA): Kammerorchester Basel, Sinfonieorchester Basel, Berner Symphonieorchester
Bar Avni (ISR): Re-Invitation to the Gstaad Conducting Academy 2019
Tabita Berglund (NOR): Re-Invitation to the Gstaad Conducting Academy 2019
Winners of the Neeme Järvi Prize 2017
Petr Popelka (Czech Republic): Kammerorchester Basel, Sinfonieorchester Basel, Berner Symphonieorchester
Katharina Wincor (Austria): Re-Invitation to the Gstaad Conducting Academy 2018
Winner of the Neeme Järvi Prize 2016
Joseph Bastian (Switzerland/France): Kammerorchester Basel, Sinfonieorchester Basel, Musikkollegium Winterthur
Winners of the Neeme Järvi Prize 2015
Nuno Coelho (Portugal): Kammerorchester Basel
François López-Ferrer (USA, Spain): Musikkollegium Winterthur
Toby Thatcher (Australia, UK): Sinfonieorchester Basel