Germany's public TV broadcaster ZDF announced today that Thomas Gottschalk will host the ECHO Klassik 2016 awards show. After 2010 and 2011, this year will mark the third time that Gottschalk will act as master of ceremonies for the gala event, which will take place on 9 October at the Konzerthaus in Berlin. The ECHO Klassik brings together national and international classical music stars and is one of the most prestigious music prizes in the world. The event is organized by the German Phono Academy, which functions as the cultural branch of Germany's Federal Music Industry Association (BVMI). The ZDF, which has been the ECHO Klassik's media partner for 20 years, will broadcast the gala that same evening at 10pm.

Dr. Florian Drücke, Managing Director of the BVMI: "Thomas Gottschalk is not only one of Germany's greatest hosts and entertainers; he is also a huge, self-confessed classical music fan. He embodies a superb combination of the two fields, thus guaranteeing tremendous media coverage for the ECHO Klassik and for classical music in general. At the same time, we can also be sure that the ECHO Klassik gala event will be in the best hands possible. Thomas Gottschalk has already twice proven that large-scale TV entertainment and classical music need not be mutually exclusive, plus he made a very moving appearance as a guest speaker last year. With this in mind, we have already joined ZDF in looking forward to a fantastic evening in October!"
                                                                                                              
Starting on 22 February 2016, all record companies whose recordings are distributed regularly on the German market will have the opportunity to submit their best productions for the ECHO Klassik 2016. A jury will then select this year's prize-winners from among the submissions. More information regarding the submission period and the submission and evaluation criteria will be announced shortly.  

To enjoy images and impressions from last year's ECHO Klassik award ceremony in October 2015, please visit the ECHO YouTube channel at <link http: www.youtube.com echomusikpreis external-link-new-window external link in new>www.youtube.com/echomusikpreis and the ECHO Klassik website at <link http: www.echoklassik.de>www.echoklassik.de.

About the ECHO Klassik

The ECHO Klassik has honoured outstanding classical music performances by national and international artists each year since 1994. The gala awards ceremony is organised by the German music-industry body known as the Deutsche Phono Academy, which acts as the cultural arm of the Federal Music Industry Association (BVMI). The prize-winners are chosen by a jury consisting of prominent industry experts. In addition to recognizing extraordinary recordings, one of the other key goals of the ECHO Klassik is to use the prestigious award to foster young talent and bring the appeal and diversity of classical music to a broader audience.