Sir Karl was delighted to receive the Preis der Europäischen Kirchenmusik 2024 (European Church Music Prize 2024) in Schwäbisch Gmünd on 17 July 2024.

As part of the 36th Festival (held between 12 July and 4 August 2024), Sir Karl also conducted the German premiere of his new oratorio One World, with KONEKTO choir and the Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen.

One World, scored for soprano, mezzo-soprano, baritone, chorus and orchestra, was composed in 2021-22 and deals with a fractured world (populist governments, plagues, climate change, human trafficking, disrespect for basic human rights, terrorism, war), heralding a vision of a peaceful and egalitarian planet. The score sets texts from the Bible, the Hindu Gayatri Mantra as well as the poetry of Percy Bysshe Shelley, Frances Harper, Kahlil Gibran and Carol Barratt. According to the composer, the new work is, perhaps, best encapsulated by one of the texts: ‘Tikkun Olam’, Hebrew for ‘repair the world’.

After the performance, Mayor Richard Arnold awarded Sir Karl with the prize for “his compositional work, which crosses genre boundaries and reaches people all over the world.” During the presentation, it was noted how in Sir Karl’s “compositions he deals with current topics and socio-political issues and uses the universal language of music to promote peace and international understanding”.

The European Church Music Prize is awarded to high-ranking performers and composers for special achievements in the field of sacred music.

Photograph: Hartmut Hientzsch