This year's cultural awards were presented in the Würzburg City Council Chamber on 21 November. This year's winner was the Monteverdi Choir Würzburg with its conductor Prof Matthias Beckert. The jury praised the innovative programme concepts and the musical achievements of the concert choir. Mayor Christian Schuchardt presented the cultural award, with Regine Toyka-Blum delivering the laudatory speech.

The Monteverdi Choir Würzburg is a successful concert choir made up of students and alumni of the University of Würzburg and the University of Music Würzburg, whose repertoire includes the most important oratorio works from the Renaissance to modern times. Numerous Würzburg premières and highly acclaimed concerts in accordance with historical performance practice demonstrate the choir's efficiency and versatility. The choir has accepted invitations to renowned concert series such as the Mozartfest Würzburg - most recently with a performance of Mozart's "Requiem" together with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin - the Abteikonzerte Münsterschwarzach, the Rosenberger Musiktage, as well as the concert series of the Rheinische Philharmonie and the Jenaer Philharmonie. With two 1st places at the Bavarian Choir Competition and a 1st prize at the German Choir Competition, the Monteverdich Choir Würzburg is one of the top choirs in Germany.

Matthias Beckert, himself an alumnus of the HfM Würzburg, teaches as a professor of choral conducting at the University of Music in Karlsruhe. He previously worked as a professor of orchestral conducting at the Detmold University of Music and as a professor of choral conducting at the Würzburg University of Music and at the Hanover University of Music, Theatre and Media. As a conductor, he directs the Monteverdich Choir Würzburg and the chamber choir Cantabile Regensburg - ensembles with which he has won several prizes at the Bavarian and German Choir Competitions, among others.

Two alumnae of the Würzburg University of Music were also delighted to receive one of three sponsorship awards from the city of Würzburg: the duo Marie-Thérèse Zahnlecker (piano master class) and Theresa Maria Romes (voice master class) were honoured for their "Chamber Music Festival" project. The laudatory speech was held by Steffen Zeller, Chairman of the Würzburg Tonkünstlerverband.