“Acceptance Speech” Frontiers of Knowledge Award 2023 in Music and Opera

Acceptance speech by George Benjamin, winner of the 2023 Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Music and Opera, honored for his extraordinary contribution to contemporary musical creation in symphonic music, opera and chamber music. His work is distinguished by the modernization of operatic language, the originality of its musical structures and its ability to connect with audiences through composition.

Benjamin recalls his first visit to Spain in 1971, when, at the age of eleven, he learned of the death of Igor Stravinsky, one of the composers who had profoundly influenced his musical vocation. He reflects on his Spanish family roots, dating back to the 17th century, and his early determination to devote his life to composition. He also celebrates music as an expression of beauty, harmony and truth, emphasizing the inexhaustible possibilities of an art form to which he has dedicated his entire life.