Great events are casting their shadows ahead – in five days’ time, Igor Levit and Lisa Batiashvili will be honored with the Emperor Otto Prize from the state capital of Magdeburg and the Emperor Otto Cultural Foundation. In the 10th anniversary year of the award ceremony and the 20th anniversary of the prestigious prize, two artists will be honored for their exemplary commitment to dialogue, peace and humanitarian values in Europe.
Igor Levit was born in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, in 1987. He began his musical training on the piano at the age of three with his mother, a qualified music teacher, and made his debut as a soloist at the age of four. As a Jewish contingent refugee, Levit moved to Hanover with his parents in 1995. At the age of thirteen, he began his studies at the Institut zur Frühförderung musikalisch Hochbegabter (IFF) at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien in Hanover, which he completed in 2010 with a piano exam with the highest score in the history of the university. Levit has been teaching as a professor of piano at his former training centre since October 2019.
More than almost any other musician, Igor Levit always places his artistic excellence in the context of social events. For him, the two are inextricably linked. He uses his fame vehemently and unequivocally for his political commitment against anti-Semitism and right-wing extremism. He regularly speaks out on pressing issues of our time, particularly on the X platform. Social values are non-negotiable for him and so he also defies critical voices. The pianist, who has won numerous music awards, is at home on international stages and regularly performs with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra, the NDR Radiophilharmonie Hannover and the English Chamber Orchestra, among others. Igor Levit has also received several awards for his political commitment, including the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
For his unyielding and outstanding commitment to peace, freedom, tolerance and against anti-Semitism and xenophobia, Igor Levit will receive the Emperor Otto Prize 2025 from the city of Magdeburg.
