York Höller wins 2010 Grawemeyer Award for Sphären

German composer York Höller (GEMA) was awarded the world's top composition prize for his orchestral work Sphären. The Grawemeyer Award, worth $200,000, is awarded annually by the University of Louisville for a work that makes an outstanding contribution to the field of musical composition. Sphären, chosen for the award from 136 entries worldwide, was commissioned by West German Radio and premiered in 2008 by the WDR Symphony Orchestra in Cologne. The six-movement, 40-minute piece was inspired by literature, music of the past and the elements of air, water, earth and fire from Greek philosophy. York Höller, who signed with Boosey & Hawkes in 1983, is professor emeritus of music composition at the Cologne University of Music.