Cole Knutson wins DAAD Prize 2024
The Canadian master's student, pianist and saxophonist Cole Knutson is honoured with the DAAD Prize 2024 of the Hanns Eisler School of Music Berlin. Cole Knutson studies Lied Interpretation for Pianists at the Eisler in the class of Prof Wolfram Rieger.
As an active member of the regional Métis Council in his home province, the Métis Canadian is committed to the rights and recognition of the indigenous Métis group. Cole Knutson comes from the province of Saskatchewan and grew up in a multicultural environment. Languages such as Cree, Michif, Ukrainian, Tagalog, Korean, Mandarin, French, Russian, Icelandic, German and Swahili were spoken in the neighbourhood, and Yiddish, German and Norwegian were added to this linguistic diversity in his own family.
He is an ambassador for the charitable organisation Creative Kids Saskatchewan, which promotes access to cultural education for disadvantaged children. Supported by Creative Kids himself as a child, he now curates a summer festival in his hometown of North Battleford, Saskatchewan, where outstanding performers and instructors offer free concerts, masterclasses and private lessons. Many students have already won national competitions through this initiative and have been able to study at renowned music academies in Montréal, London, New York or Europe. Cole Knutson is committed to providing students with free pianos with piano tunings.
He is already in demand internationally as an Lied accompanist. His awards include the English Song Prize from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and the Young Artists Platform in Oxford. In 2017, he made his debut at Carnegie Hall and was awarded 2nd prize at the National Music Festival of Canada. His artistic career has been supported by numerous awards and scholarships, including from the Sylva Gelber Music Foundation, the Art Song Foundation of Canada and the Gabriel Dumont Institute.
In the coming season, Cole Knutson will be touring the Prairies and the North of Canada to bring music to remote communities and strengthen the community. Cole Knutson is passionate about this: ‘My goal is to remove barriers to arts education and facilitate access in remote communities across Canada. With my network and experience, I hope to inspire and support others from these communities,’ says the 27-year-old.
The DAAD Prize 2024 will be presented to Cole Knutson at the Excellence Concert on 29 November 2024 in the Krönungskutschen-Saal at Neuer Marstall.
The School's DAAD Prize, which is endowed with 1,000 euros, is awarded once a year to international students for outstanding artistic achievements and social or intercultural commitment. The award ceremony is intended to help put faces to the large numbers of foreign students at German universities and to emphasise the mutual enrichment that international exchange brings.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)