Thomas Jennefelt receives the German Prize for European Church Music 2026
The German Prize for European Church Music 2026 will be awarded to Thomas Jennefelt. Previous laureates include Arvo Pärt, Sofia Gubaidulina, John Rutter and Eric Ericson. The prize sum is 5,000 Euros and the prize will be awarded in July 2026 at the Festival for European Church Music in Germany, where the ensemble Vokalharmonin and conductor Fredrik Malmberg will perform a concert entirely dedicated to Swedish music, with a focus on Thomas Jennefelt.
Thomas Jennefelt, with his vocally rooted and expressive music, is one of Sweden's most established contemporary composers. At the age of 22, he composed one of his most successful choral works, the dramatic and provocative Warning to the Rich , and almost half a century later, Jennefelt's orchestral works, chamber music and operas have been performed on major stages around the world.
– I am happy and honored to be part of such a distinguished circle of laureates, says Thomas Jennefelt. And to be the first Swede to be awarded after Eric Ericson 25 years ago - fantastic! Even though I may not be a typical church music composer, the sacred has been present and I have often chosen to use music to comment on the place of religion in our troubled times.
The Festival of European Church Music in Schwäbisch Gmünd attracts more than 15,000 visitors each year. Since 1999, the Preis der Europäischen Kirchenmusik has been awarded to composers and performers for their outstanding contributions to sacred music. Previous winners include conductors Eric Ericson, Marcus Creed and Christoph Rademann, the St. Thomas Church Boys' Choir in Leipzig, which has been active since 1212, and composers Arvo Pärt, Sofia Gubaidulina, John Rutter, Krzysztof Penderecki and Pēteris Vasks.
Thomas Jennefelt was born in 1954 and educated at the Stockholm Academy of Music. His musical language moves between collage technique, vocal minimalism, gentle harmony and harsh outbursts. He has created his own language, made apartment operas and portrayed the horrors of war. With his long experience as a singer in Eric Ericson's Chamber Choir, he has a solid knowledge of the voice and its expressive possibilities. His catalogue of music drama, choral, orchestral and chamber music is constantly expanding with new commissions from top European ensembles, not least in Germany.
PRESS RELEASE: Preis der Europäischen Kirchenmusik 2026 für Thomas Jennefelt - Schwäbisch Gmünd
More about Thomas Jennefelt / gehrmans.se