On July 19, at the Pärnu Music Festival, composer Märt-Matis Lill was awarded the Lepo Sumera Composition Prize, initiated by the Estonian Authors’ Society and the Estonian Composers’ Union.
“Märt-Matis Lill’s music very naturally guides the listener toward the deep layers of perception, awareness, and emotion. Vast cultural undercurrents and a wide emotional spectrum find expression in his work, which unites direct experience with refined aesthetics,” commented jury chair Helena Tulve.
Märt-Matis Lill’s range as a composer is truly impressive. His signature compositional style blends deep meditativeness with public drama, sonic sensitivity with vivid imagery, and introversion with striking theatricality. Equally broad is the range of genres he has explored, including music theatre, orchestral works, chamber music, and more. His ability to merge diverse approaches into a cohesive and aesthetically convincing whole continues a tradition in Estonian music exemplified by his teacher, Lepo Sumera—a tradition in which stylistic maturity never comes at the expense of openness, exploration, and experimentation.
The Lepo Sumera Composition Prize honors composers whose body of work demonstrates a clearly evolving personal style, conceptual breadth, and artistic depth.
This year’s laureate was selected by a jury composed of composer Helena Tulve, musicologist Kerri Kotta, and electronic musician and sound engineer Tammo Sumera.
Past recipients of the award include Toivo Tulev, Helena Tulve, Tõnu Kõrvits, Jüri Reinvere, Galina Grigorjeva, Ülo Krigul, Tatjana Kozlova-Johannes, Age Veeroos, and Erkki-Sven Tüür. The prize has been awarded annually since 2016.
The award includes a €4,500 cash prize, provided by the Estonian Authors’ Society and the Estonian Composers’ Union.
Video of the award ceremony (starting from 01:38:00) is available HERE.