Anna Netrebko, Philippe Jaroussky, Sol Gabetta, Pinchas Zukerman, Holger Falk, Asya Fateyeva, Grigory Sokolov, Christiane Karg and Andrea Bocelli are only a few of the winners of this year’s ECHO KLASSIK awards. The Deutsche Phono-Akademie, which acts as the cultural institute of Germany's Federal Music Industry Association (Bundesverband Musikindustrie, BVMI), also announced today that conductor Nikolaus Harnoncourt, who died this past March, will be honoured posthumously for his most recent Beethoven recording with the Concentus Musicus Wien. In the “Bestseller of the Year” category, the tenor Jonas Kaufmann is a step ahead of the rest with his recording “Nessun Dorma – The Puccini Album”. The ECHO KLASSIK comprises a total of 57 awards in 22 categories. For a list of all award winners, visit <link http: www.echoklassik.de en external-link-new-window external link in new>www.echoklassik.de.

The ECHO KLASSIK trophies will be handed out on Sunday, 9 October 2016 at a gala event at the Konzerthaus in Berlin. Germany’s public TV channel ZDF will broadcast the ceremony that same evening at 10 pm. After his successful outings in 2010 and 2011, popular German personality Thomas Gottschalk will host the event for the third time. The announcement naming the winners scheduled to perform together with the Konzerthausorchester Berlin will be made shortly. Tickets for the event will go on sale in early September.

“Once again this year, the field of classical music is quite far-reaching and artistically diverse”, noted BVMI Managing Director Dr. Florian Drücke. “And this broad spectrum is directly reflected in the list of 2016 ECHO KLASSIK award winners. It contains a wide range of genres and epochs, major ensembles and soloists, global stars and exciting up-and-comers, all of whom have made impressive and long-lasting contributions to the culture of music. They’ve also brought much joy to fans of classical music throughout the year. We are all looking forward to a star-studded ceremony and many unforgettable moments at the Konzerthaus Berlin.”

ECHO KLASSIK – A Gathering of National and International Classical Music Stars

The ECHO KLASSIK is one of the most prestigious music awards in the world. In 2016, it will be handed out for the 23rd time in a row. Each year, a virtual who's-who of the classical music scene attends the glamorous ceremony. This year, the ECHO KLASSIK will be held on 9 October 2016 at the Konzerthaus in Berlin.

The German music-industry body known as the Deutsche Phono-Akademie, the cultural institute of the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI), has organised the ECHO KLASSIK awards and honoured outstanding performances by national and international artists annually since 1994. The winners are chosen by a jury consisting of prominent industry experts. The key goals of the ECHO KLASSIK are to recognise extraordinary recordings but also to use the prestigious award to foster young talent and bring the fascination and diversity of classical music to a broader audience.

An overview of ECHO KLASSIK 2016 award winners (in alphabetical order):