Moretti and Helenwein received the European Culture Prize

With actor Tobias Moretti and artist Gottfried Hellenwyn, two Austrians were awarded the European Culture Prize on Saturday evening at the Bonn Opera. Among the 10 winners were hard rock band Scorpions, jazz-pop singer Katie Melua and violinist David Jarrett. The concert, which was held in the birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven, was dedicated to the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth.

The Beethoven Orchestra in Bonn, which has just been appointed a United Nations climate ambassador, played the music award winner under the direction of Director General of Music Dirk Kaftan. She was awarded, among other things, for her participatory concepts and claim to set out on new musical shores with audiences and namesake Beethoven.

The European Cultural Forum regularly honors artists from outside the music scene who hold a special place in their genres. In the visual arts department, this was Halloween this year. On the other hand, Austrian actor Moretti recently adored the name “Louis van Beethoven” in the movie of the same name co-produced by ORF in 2020 in honor of the composer.

Another category since 2018 is the promotion of sustainable technologies and concepts. This year, Formula E driver Nico Rosberg was honored as Greentech Festival co-founder and investor in green technologies for this sustainable commitment. Another special category has been “fair fashion” for some time as a combination of creative power and sustainable production. Model, actress and presenter Barbara Meyer accepted this award as this year’s award winner.

The European Culture Prize is awarded to personalities, initiatives, artists, politicians or institutions for outstanding services and achievements about Europe and its people. The ceremony is held annually in different European cultural cities, and the prize sponsor is the European Cultural Forum in Dresden.