LBT winner of BMW Welt Jazz Award 2018.

Munich. The winner of the tenth edition of BMW Welt Jazz Award was chosen following an outstanding final concert. Competing against BartolomeyBittmann – progressive strings vienna, LBT and its members Leo Betzl (piano), Sebastian Wolfgruber (drums) and Maximilian Hirning (bass) won the coveted award on Saturday night. Dr Nicolas Peter, Member of the Board of Management of BMW Group, presented the prize together with Dr Hans-Georg Küppers, Head of the Department of Cultural Affairs of the state capital Munich.

This year’s anniversary edition followed the theme “Jazz moves”, which was interpreted during six matinee shows offered free of charge during spring. Performed to capacity audiences, the concerts were testament to the fascination of the broad range of danceable jazz music.

LBT, who founded their trio three years ago while still studying at the Academy for Music and Theatre Munich, consistently delight their audiences with dramatic movements and exciting music best described as “techno jazz”.

The expert jury said, “To the audience, both bands opened up entirely new worlds of sound emanating from a traditional cast and set-up. Their appropriation of patterns and models from pop music ideally embodied this year’s motto ‘Jazz moves’ in the most exciting and convincing ways. BartholomeyBittmann’s enormous range of musicality and power of expression transformed a classic duo of strings into an all-encompassing jazz-rock band. The revolutionary innovation of chamber music techno pulled LBT ahead by the slightest of margins. It is astounding to witness how coherent jazz improvisations are put together via a delicate, acoustic form of high-frequent ‘beats per minute’-blasts of techno. This is why the BMW Welt Jazz Award 2018 goes to Leo Betzl, Maximilian Hirning and Sebastian Wolfgruber.”

LBT received a prize money of 10,000 Euro as well as the trophy designed by BMW Design. The runner up BartolomeyBittmann – progressive strings vienna was awarded 5,000 Euro.

In addition to the award, the public’s favourite was selected based on audience votes at each performance. BartolomeyBittmann – progressive strings vienna won this prize and are looking forward to an exclusive stay and concert at resort Schloss Elmau.

“We are delighted to celebrate this year’s anniversary edition of BMW Welt Jazz Award in such a diverse manner. Over the course of the last ten years we joined forces to make the BMW Welt Jazz Award known far beyond the borders of the city of Munich. Sixty national and international ensembles have since performed at the double-coned structure of BMW Welt and shown that jazz has the power to bring people together internationally. I would like to express my gratitude to our partners of many years and it is my pleasure to congratulate LBT on their win,” said Dr Nicolas Peter, member of the board of BMW Group. At the final concert, Dr Nicolas Peter also announced the theme of the 2019 edition of BMW Welt Jazz Award: “Saxophone Worlds” is an homage to the instrument, probably most significant for jazz.

Dr Hans-Georg Küppers, head of Munich’s cultural department, is very pleased with the success story of BMW Welt Jazz Award and said, “After only a few years, this award boasts international acclaim and is highly reputed amongst musicians, experts and audiences alike. This is in part due to the great attention and care BMW put in creating the format. It also illustrates the exceptionally high musical standards of the competition. And for that reason, I am delighted that a Munich-based band, the Leo Betzl Trio, convinced the jury at this year’s final concert. Allow me to congratulate on the occasion of the award’s anniversary and to express my deepest gratitude to BMW for this outstanding partnership of many years.”

A total of six renowned, international ensembles invited their audiences to dance during the Sunday matinees held between February and April at the double-coned structure of BMW Welt. Other participating bands included Jukka Eskola Soul Trio (Finland), PUERTA SUR – Tangomoods. Arroyo/Schläppi/Engler (Switzerland), Andi Kissenbeck’s CLUB BOOGALOO (Germany) and Beady Belle (Norway).

The distinguished panel of jurors includes renowned jazz experts and specialists of the jazz scene, who chose the winner of the BMW Welt Jazz Award 2018. Led by Oliver Hochkeppel (journalist for music and cultural affairs at the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung), the jury includes the following members: Andreas Kolb (editor-in-chief of the magazines JazzZeitung and neue musikzeitung), Roland Spiegel (editor at the music desk and jazz expert at the German broadcasting station Bayerischer Rundfunk BR‑KLASSIK), Heike Lies (musicologist, Music and Music Theatre Division of the Department of Cultural Affairs of the state capital Munich) and Christiane Böhnke-Geisse (Artistic Director of the international jazz festival Bingen swingt).

This edition of the BMW Welt Jazz Award once again enjoyed the generous support of BR-KLASSIK, nmz, nmz-online and JazzZeitung.de as well as resort Schloss Elmau and the Department of Cultural Affairs of the city of Munich.

For further questions please contact:
Prof Dr Thomas Girst
BMW Group Corporate and Governmental Affairs
Cultural Engagement
Telephone: +49-89-382-24753

Leonie Laskowski

BMW Group Corporate and Intergovernmental Affairs

Cultural Engagement

Telephone: +49-89-382-45382

Micaela Sandstede

BMW Group Corporate and Intergovernmental Affairs

Spokesperson BMW Welt

Telephone: +49-89-382-61611

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Email: presse@bmw.de

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