Award of the ifa Research Prize

The ifa Research Award on Foreign Cultural Policy goes this year to the musicologist Tobias Reichard. Reichard receives the award for his dissertation 'Musik für die Achse. Deutsch-italienische Musikbeziehungen unter Hitler und Mussolini bis 1943' (Music for the Axis. German-Italian Music Relationships under Hitler and Mussolini until 1943), which he submitted to the Institute for Historical Musicology at the University of Hamburg.

The award ceremony of the Research Prize in German language will be pre-recorded and broadcast on the ifa YouTube channel on December 4th. The video will remain available after the premiere.

Programme

• Music by Manfred Schmitz: piece no. 5 from 'Jazz Parnass', played by Mareike Burdinski (harp) and Felix Brade (cello)
• Short welcoming speech by the Secretary General of the ifa, Ronald Grätz
• An appreciation of Reichard's work by Dr. Lutz Klinkhammer, Deputy Director of the German Historical Institute in Rome
• Music by Camille Saint-Saens: 'The Swan', played by Mareike Burdinski (harp) and Felix Brade (cello)
• Short interview with the prize winner, Dr. Tobias Reichard
• Music by Manfred Schmitz: piece no. 24 from 'Jazz Parnass', played by Mareike Burdinski (harp) and Felix Brade (cello)

About the Prize Winner

Tobias Reichard studied historical musicology, Italian literary history and law at the University of Hamburg. After completing his doctorate, he became a research assistant at the Research Institute for Music Theatre at the University of Bayreuth and worked as a co-curator of the exhibition 'Hitler.Macht.Oper' (Hitler.Power.Opera). Since March 2020 he has been working at the newly founded Ben Haim Research Centre of the University of Music and Theatre in Munich, where he is doing research on Jewish musical culture in southern Germany.

The ifa Research Award on Foreign Cultural Policy

The Research Prize is awarded for an outstanding dissertation that particularly helps advance research and examines topics at the interface between culture and foreign policy.

The ifa Research Award on Foreign Cultural Policy has been awarded since 2001 and is endowed with 3,000 euros.