Ernst von Siemens Composers Prizes, each worth €35,000, will go to British composer Bethan Morgan-Williams, Armenian composer Hovik Sardaryan, and Australian composer Kitty Xiao.

Bethan Morgan-Williams (*1992)

Born in Wales, Bethan Morgan-Williams studied with Diderik Wagenaar at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and with Gary Carpenter at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. She has collaborated with the London Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Musikfabrik, the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, and violist Antoine Tamestit. Based in Wales, Morgan-Williams draws on the contrast between rural calm and urban intensity in her music, which features layered textures and complex rhythms, guiding listeners through carefully structured, multifaceted works. more information

Hovik Sardaryan (*1993)

Hovik Sardaryan was born in Armenia and began his studies at the Yerevan State Conservatory with Ashot Zohrabyan. With the support of a DAAD scholarship, he continued his education in Germany, studying with Wolfgang Rihm in Karlsruhe and Arnulf Hermann in Saarbrücken. Sardaryan was a fellow of the Karajan Academy and, in 2023, was selected for the Roche Young Commissions. His music often draws on his Armenian heritage, incorporating traditional instruments and folk melodies. He also explores unconventional tunings and microtonality, creating a distinctive, personal sound in expansive compositions. more information

Kitty Xiao (*1989)

Born in Australia, Kitty Xiao is a composer, sound artist, and producer. She studied performance and music education in Melbourne and has been pursuing a doctorate in composition at Columbia University in New York since 2022, where she studies with Georg Friedrich Haas and George Lewis. She has collaborated with Ensemble Modern, the Mivos Quartet, and the Australian National Academy of Music. Xiao’s work combines performative elements and electronic media, exploring the human body and embodied experience.