The 2025 Birgit Nilsson Prize – worth 1 million US dollars – was awarded today to the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, whose director Pierre Audi died tragically two weeks ago.
The citation says: ‘With its forward-looking and multi-faceted programming the Festival has produced key milestones in contemporary masterpieces which have perpetuated the art form and added an important chapter to music history. Special recognition is given to the production of Kaija Saariaho’s opera ‘Innocence’, premiered at the Festival D’Aix-en-Provence in 2021.
‘Today is both a moment of celebration and deep sadness, as the world mourns the loss of Pierre Audi, who died suddenly earlier this month. As General Director of the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence since 2019, Pierre’s artistic passion and dedication was truly inspirational and he was looking forward to celebrating this special honour, of which he was so proud to acknowledge on behalf of all those he worked with at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence.’
Pierre, who knew of the award before his sudden death, had prepared this statement:
‘The Festival d’Aix-en-Provence is immensely grateful and humbled to have been chosen as the 2025 recipient of the prestigious Birgit Nilsson Prize. No words are warm enough to express our deepest thanks at receiving this wonderful honour, which comes at a momentous turning point in our 77-year history. The Birgit Nilsson Prize will help the Festival cross these challenging times, which have threatened its artistic course. The Prize will enable the Festival to continue its determined policy to create new works and stay an inspiring birthplace for new operas, as well as nurture the special synergy between innovation and quality that has been its trademark for many years.
‘The opera Innocence by the great Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho is a prime example of a work that has taken the world by storm. Nurtured and produced by the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, this important work will have been seen across fifteen stages around the world in the space of a few years. This project stands as a living example of the contribution the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence has been able to make to the course of opera as a living art form we firmly believe is there to stay and evolve with our times.’
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