Read the press release announcing the call for nominations for the 2008 prize

In Fall 2004, the Northwestern University School of Music established The Michael Ludwig Nemmers Prize in Music Composition, a biennial award honoring classical music composers of outstanding achievement who have had significant impact on the course of composition. Nominations are solicited worldwide. The winner is determined by a three-member selection committee, comprising individuals of widely recognized stature in the music community. The prize includes a cash award of $100,000, a performance by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and a residency of four non-consecutive weeks at the Northwestern University School of Music where the recipient interacts with faculty and students.  

On June 2, 2004, John Adams was named the inaugural winner of the Nemmers Prize in Music Composition. The subsequent winner in 2006 was Oliver Knussen, whose upcoming campus residencies will be the weeks of January 21 and May 12, 2008.

Nominations for the 2008 Michael Ludwig Nemmers Prize in Music Composition will be accepted from October 1, 2007 through February 1, 2008, with the winner announced in early spring 2008.  Nominations preferably should come from recognized experts in the music profession and describe the nominee’s accomplishments and qualifications in no more than a two-page letter. Inclusion of the nominee’s resume along with the nominating letter is encouraged but is not required. Self-nominations will not be accepted.  Former or present members of the Northwestern University faculty or employees of the Chicago Symphony are not eligible for the prize.

Nominations should be sent to:

Secretary to the Selection Committee
Michael Ludwig Nemmers Prize in Music Composition
Office of the Dean
School of Music
Northwestern University
711 Elgin Road
Evanston, IL 60208.

The Michael Ludwig Nemmers Prize in Music Composition is made possible through a generous gift from the late Erwin E. Nemmers and Frederic E. Nemmers, who in 1994 enabled the creation at Northwestern University of the Erwin Plein Nemmers Prize in Economics and the Frederic Esser Nemmers Prize in Mathematics, leading awards in those fields.