After completing his studies under Helmut Lachenmann and Salvatore Sciarrino, two beacons of 20th and 21st century music, Pierluigi Billone from Lombardy, Italy, found his artistic home in Vienna. Whether for soloists, ensembles, or orchestras, his compositions invariably explore the rich sound potential of instruments and everyday objects. For over 30 years – and in a long-standing artistic collaboration with Klangforum Wien – Billone has been creating expansive works of music that probe the limits of the audible between sound, voice, and speech. In his pursuit, the body serves as the nexus of musical experience.
The 36th Erste Bank Composition Award will be presented to Pierluigi Billone in recognition of his exceptionally original body of work and distinctive compositional signature, which constantly challenges musicians and listeners alike. The laureate concert with the world premiere of his latest piece ME (Studie für Ensemble) will take place on 6 November 2025 at Wien Modern festival together with Klangforum Wien .
Statement of the jury
"As a composer, Pierluigi Billone is uncompromising, independent, reserved, and deeply devoted to a timelessness of artistic thought and creation that transcends limelight-besotted trends. His work is born outside the bounds of an event-driven cultural industry and is an expression of a deeply felt imperative that refuses to be held back by any constraints. Billone's oeuvre reveals a genuine interest in sounding out the technical limits of instruments – while engaging in a dialogue with the individual performers – and articulates a world-facing outlook that embraces both non-European cultures and art disciplines outside the musical realm. Pierluigi Billone embodies an artistic ethos that has become rare."
Statement by the laureate
Pierluigi Billone on being presented with the the award: "In 1993, Klangforum Wien performed one of my works for the first time. Ever since, we've journeyed together on countless adventures. It's a great joy to be able to continue on this voyage thanks to the Erste Bank Composition Award. I'd like to thank the jury members, Klangforum Wien, and Erste Bank, for their long-standing support and for promoting composers and their work."
About Pierluigi Billone
Pierluigi Billone, born in Sondalo, Italy, in 1960, lives in Vienna. He studied under Salvatore Sciarrino and Helmut Lachenmann.
His music has been interpreted by the world's most acclaimed performers and ensembles at various events, including Wien Modern, Festival d'Automne à Paris, the Donaueschinger Musiktage, Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik, Eclat in Stuttgart, Ultraschall Berlin, musica viva in Munich, TFNM in Zurich, Ars Musica in Brussels, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, World Music Days in Wroclaw, Music Biennale Zagreb, Monday Evening Concerts in Los Angeles, Bendigo Chamber Music Festival in Sydney. Through numerous broadcasts (on BBC, WDR, SDR, BRD, NDR, ORF, DRS, and others), he has found fame even outside of Europe.
Billone has previously been recognised with the Composition Prize of the City of Stuttgart (1993), the Busoni Composition Prize of the Berlin Academy of Arts (1996), Vienna's International Composition Award (2004), the Ernst-Krenek-Award of the City of Vienna (2006), and the Composer Prize of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation (2010).
As visiting professor of composition, Billone has taught at University of Music and Performing Arts Graz (2006–2008 and 2010–2012), at Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts (2009) as well as at ESMUC in Barcelona (2017). His international teaching engagements have taken him to the IEMA in Germany, to Harvard University, Columbia University New York, and Boston University in the USA, as well as the MCME International Academy in Russia, the Darmstadt Summer Courses, the impuls Academy in Graz, Austria, various music schools in his home country, Italy, and to Tzlil Meudcan in Israel, MCIC in Madrid, the Composition Academy in Kalv, Sweden, the Conservatoire royal de Bruxelles (2020), and APC in Lisbon.
Recordings of his works have been released on the CD labels Kairos, Stradivarius, col legno, Durian, EMSA, NEOS, and ein_klang.
Further information can also be found on the laureate's website: www.pierluigibillone.com
The Erste Bank Composition Award
The Erste Bank Composition Award has established itself as one of the most important awards in the field of new music. Since 1989, Erste Bank has awarded an annual composition prize to outstanding composers in recognition of their work to date and who represent a variety of aesthetic positions. The Erste Bank Composition Award includes at least three performances by Klangforum Wien. The world premiere usually takes place at Wien Modern festival. In addition, the Erste Bank Composition Award supports the release of the new work and a portrait on a contemporary recording medium. The prizewinners are selected by a jury consisting of Gerd Kühr (composer), Christian Scheib (ORF, musikprotokoll) and Peter Paul Kainrath (artistic director Klangforum Wien).
The Erste Bank Composition Award, Klangforum Wien and Wien Modern are supported as part of the Erste Bank sponsoring programme - Vermehrt Schönes!
