Prague, Jan 21 (CTK) – Czech cembalo player Zuzana Ruzickova, Czech horn player Katerina Javurkova and British orchestra conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner became the first holders of the new Classic Prague Awards Saturday.
Ruzickova, 90, a Holocaust survivor, received the crystal trophy for her life-long contribution to music.
Javurkova won the category talent of the year and Gardiner was awarded for his promotion of Czech music abroad.
The first prize carries a crystal trophy along with the financial reward of 100,000 crowns.
The laureates were selected by a professional jury comprised of classical music personalities. These were violinist Vaclav Hudecek, soprano Gabriela Benackova, composer Ondrej Soukup, clarinetist and teacher Jiri Hlavac and piano player and teacher Ivan Klansky.
The prize was founded by the company Voice of Prague and former culture Minister Jiri Besser. He has already handed the prize to Gardiner.
In the past, Sir Gardiner conducted the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.
($1 = 25.414 crowns)
