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In addition to the Mendelssohn Prize, Anna Lucia Richter also receives a prize from the "Freunde Junger Musiker e.V.", which opens up additional performance opportunities for her. The "Scholarship of the Federal President for the Promotion of Young Musicians", which has also been awarded as part of the competition for several years, goes to baritone Andreas Burkhart from the Munich University of Music and Theatre and the "Quibrass Trombone Quartet" from the Freiburg University of Music in 2011.

The pianist Christoph Schnackertz from the Cologne University of Music and Dance receives a special prize for his outstanding performance as an accompanist in the vocal category. At the suggestion of the jury, a sponsorship prize will also be awarded this year as an exception, which will go to the brass quintet "BBQ Stuttgart" (Stuttgart State University of Music and Performing Arts).

The prizes will be presented at a concert on 16 January 2011.

Prizewinners' concert: 16 January 2011, 7 pm, Concert Hall of the Berlin University of the Arts, Hardenbergstraße / corner of Fasanenstraße. Sold out, remaining tickets available at the box office. Tel.: 3185 2374

The Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Prize was established in 1878. The occasion was the donation of the composer's music manuscripts and archive by his heirs to the Royal Library, now the Berlin State Library. In return, the Prussian state established the prize in the form of a scholarship "for the training of talented and ambitious musicians". The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, to which the Berlin State Library belongs, honoured this commitment to the Mendelsohn family and resumed the tradition of awarding the prize in 1963. Students from the 23 state music academies in Germany are invited to enter the competition. Among the prize winners are such renowned musicians as Engelbert Humperdinck and Kurt Weill.

Further information can be found on the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy University Competition website.

Among the prizewinners:

Anna Lucia Richter (Cologne University of Music and Dance) was born in 1990. She has been taking singing lessons since the age of eight and gained her first solo experience as a member of the girls' choir at Cologne Cathedral. She has been receiving regular singing lessons from Prof Kurt Widmer in Basel since 2004. She has been studying at the Cologne University of Music since 2007, initially as a junior student with Prof. Klesie Kelly-Moog until 2009, and now as a senior student after graduating from high school. She has won numerous sponsorship awards, for example at the Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Competition 2010 in the vocal quartet category, a masterclass scholarship from the Cologne Chamber Opera in 2009, is a prizewinner of the 2008 National Singing Competition in Berlin in the junior category, a scholarship holder of Yehudi Menuhin LiveMusicNow and winner of the Cologne Re/GenRe sponsorship scholarship. She has worked on masterclasses with Prof Kurt Widmer, Prof Klesie Kelly-Moog, Prof Edith Wiens and the director Prof Michael Hampe.

Anna Lucia Richter can already look back on a busy concert career at home and abroad. She has sung as a soloist with the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne under General Music Director Markus Stenz, the WDR Radio Orchestra under Helmut Froschauer, the Karthäuserkantorei under Phillip Ahmann and the Cologne Cathedral Choir under Prof. Eberhard Metternich. In 2009, she made her debut with the soprano part of Bach's "St Matthew Passion" in Saratov, Russia. A recording of Robert Schumann's Liederspiel "Der Rose Pilgerfahrt", in which she collaborated with Christoph Prégardien and Michael Gees, is available from Carus-Verlag. Richter recently performed Handel's "Messiah" and Orff's "Carmina Burana" in Kaliningrad, Russia. Most recently, she appeared at the Ruhrtriennale in the Jahrhunderthalle Bochum together with the Ensemble Sarband with the "Great Mass in C minor" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and gave a recital including a recording of Mendelssohn and Schumann duets for the Institute for Tyrolean Music Research.

Andreas Burkhart (baritone, Munich University of Music and Theatre) was born in Munich in 1984 and was an alto in the Tölz Boys' Choir from 1992 to 1999. His musical training with Prof. Gerhard Schmidt-Gaden and his work as an alto soloist took him to opera houses and concert halls throughout Europe, including the state operas of Hamburg, Berlin, Munich, Vienna and Amsterdam, as well as the Salzburg Festival. He has worked with conductors such as Claudio Abbado, Lorin Maazel, James Levine and Zubin Metha and has also taken part in radio and CD recordings as a soloist and choral singer. In 2003, the Bavarian Music Council included him in its programme for the promotion of talented young musicians. In 2005, Andreas Burkhart won the national prize in the "Jugend musiziert" competition in the solo singing category. He has been studying singing with Prof Frieder Lang at the Munich Academy of Music since 2005 and has been attending Prof Helmut Deutsch's lied class there since 2007. As a guest of the August Everding Theatre Academy, he took on various roles in the productions: "3 Henze Einakter", "Gianni Schicci" by Puccini and "Die Pilger von Mekka" by Gluck with the Bavarian Radio Orchestra under the direction of Ulf Schirmer. In 2007, he was a soloist at the Simon Mayr Days in Ingolstadt and at the German-French Forum of Young Artists in Bayreuth in Prokofiev's "The Betrothal in the Monastery". In 2008, he took part in a masterclass given by Matthias Goerne in Schwarzenberg and was a scholarship holder of the Hans and Eugenia Jütting Foundation. In 2010, Andreas Burkhart sang Mahler's "Kindertotenlieder" with the Jakobsplatz Orchestra in Munich; at Nymphenburg Palace, he presented Mahler's "Rückert-Lieder" as well as songs by Brahms and Beethoven. In July 2011, he will take on the role of Andreij in Eötvös' Tri sestri at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin.

Christoph Schnackertz (Cologne University of Music and Dance) already received the accompanying prize of the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Competition in 2010. He was born in 1984 and received his first piano lessons at the age of six. In 2004, he began his studies with Prof Pierre-Laurent Aimard at the Cologne University of Music. Since 2005, he has been a permanent accompanist in Prof Christoph Prégardien's singing class, including at his masterclass at the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. He also takes lessons in the lied class of Prof Jürgen Glauß. In addition to his work as a class accompanist, he also supervised students from all singing classes and was a permanent accompanist for the university's internal opera auditions, accompanist for the Cologne Chamber Opera and accompanist for various auditions at the Cologne Opera. In 2007, Christoph Schnackertz won the accompanist prize at the Dr Kirschbaum Foundation song competition in Cologne. In 2009, he was a finalist in the 7th International Franz Schubert and Modern Music Competition in Graz in the duo category for voice and piano. He has also accompanied masterclasses by Christiane Oelze, given concerts with Edda Moser and performed in the Cologne Philharmonie. Performances are planned for the coming year in the Tonhalle Düsseldorf with Gershwin's Concerto in F, a recital and a subsequent masterclass with Christoph Prégardien at the Franz Liszt University of Music Weimar.

"Schwerpunkt" (Hanover University of Music and Drama)
Matthew Sadler (trumpet), Matthew Brown (trumpet), Cecilie Hoel (horn), Mikael Rudolfsson (trombone), Rubén Durá de Lamo (tuba)

Matthew Sadler was born in London in 1981. After studying history in London, he studied trumpet at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Munich with Prof. Hannes Läubin from 2003 to 2007. He is a former member of the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, having played under the direction of Pierre Boulez, Mariss Jansons and Seiji Osawa, among others. Sadler was a brass finalist in the BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition 2000 and was a DAAD scholarship holder with the Berliner Philharmoniker from September 2006 to August 2008. Since 2008 he has been doing his postgraduate studies at the Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media with Professor Jeroen Berwaerts. He has worked as a substitute with the Berliner Philharmoniker, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, the Bach Collegium Stuttgart and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, among others.

Matthew Brown founded the brass quintet Schwerpunkt, which specialises in modern music. Brown began his junior trumpet studies at the Manhattan School of Music in New York with James Pandolfi, trumpeter at the Metropolitan Opera. This was followed by studies at McGill University in Canada with Edward Carroll, which he completed with a bachelor's degree. During this time, he took part in various music festivals in the USA and performed at international music festivals in Europe. In 2007, Matthew Brown studied at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin with William Forman. Two years later, he began studying at the HMTM Hanover with Jeroen Berwaerts. At the same time, he was a scholarship holder with the Bergische Symphoniker. Next year, Matthew Brown will take up a position as second trumpeter in the Osnabrück Symphony Orchestra.

Cecilie Hoel, originally from Oslo, Norway, received her musical training at the Barratt Due Music Institute with Prof. Inger Besserudhagen and has been studying in Prof. Markus Maskuniitty's horn class at the Hanover University of Music and Drama since 2007. She is currently an academy member of the Deutsches Symphonieorchester Berlin. She is also a committed chamber musician and has been a member of the Hanover Wind Quintet since 2008 and the Brass Quintet Schwerpunkt since 2009.
Mikael Rudolfsson was born in Stockholm. He began his studies at Södra Latins Music High School with Sven Larsson. From 2006 to 2007 he studied at the Gothenburg Academy of Music with Prof Ingemar Roos. In 2008 he became solo trombonist with the Gävle Symphony Orchestra and has performed as a soloist at various venues throughout Scandinavia, including with the Orchestra of the North. He has been studying at the University of Music and Theatre in Hanover since 2009. Mikael Rudolfsson is the national winner and representative of Sweden in the European final of the Lions European Music Prize 2009 in Tampere and won the special prize for the best interpretation of the commissioned work by Daniel Schnyder at the Aeolus International Wind Competition 2010 in Düsseldorf. He holds a scholarship from the Stockholm Music Academy.

Rubén Durá de Lamo was born in Spain in 1986. He received his first tuba lessons at the age of fourteen. He moved to Germany in 2007, where he received lessons from Jens Björn-Larsen at the Hanover University of Music and Theatre. Further musical inspiration came from Sergio Finca, Pablo Fernandez Mel Culbertson, Roger Bobo, John Stevens, Stephane Laberye, Rex Martin and Arnoud Boukhitine and others. He has played with various ensembles, orchestras and wind orchestras, for example with the European Union Youth Wind Orchestra in Luxembourg, World of Winds in Norway, Stockholm BrassBand in Sweden, Göttinger Symphoniker and the Badische Staatskapelle.

"Quibrass Trombone Quartet" (Freiburg University of Music)
Andraz Cencic (trombone), Alan Vavti (trombone), Uros Podhostnik (trombone), Louise Anna Pollock (trombone)

The trombone quartet Quibrass was awarded the Carl Seemann Prize in 2010.
Andraz Cencic was born in Slovenia in 1988. In 2002 he won a gold award and second prize in the solo category at the Slovenian national competition, in 2004 in the chamber music category and in both 2007 and 2008 he won the gold award and first prize. He has been studying at the Freiburg University of Music since autumn 2007. He has taken masterclasses with Prof. Jacques Mauger, Prof. Branimir Slokar and Prof. Daniel Bonvin, among others, and has played in the CEI Youth Orchestra, the Chamber and Symphony Orchestra of the Slovenian Arts Region, the Orchestre de Juenesses Musical de Suisa and the Zurich Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Alan Vavti was born in Slovenia in 1989 and has been studying at the Freiburg University of Music since 2008. He began playing the trombone at an early age, studying with Prof. Davorin Ceplak, Prof. Marko Kavticnik, Prof. Samo Kola and Prof. Mihael Svagan, among others, and attended masterclasses with Branimir Slokar and Dani Bonvin. Alan Vavti has already worked for the Maribor Opera House, Slovenia, the Freiburg Philharmonic Orchestra and the Baden-Baden Philharmonic Orchestra.
Luisa Anna Pollock was born in Switzerland in 1988 and studied at the Bern University of the Arts from 2005 to 2008 and has since studied at the Freiburg University of Music. She has won first prize at the Swiss Youth Music Competition in Lugano in 2005, won the Concours National d'Execution Musicale in Riddes in 2008 and the University Council Competition for Wind Music with the Fribourg Trombone Trio in 2009. She has taken a masterclass with Prof. Slokar, among others. She has already played with the Residence Orchestra, the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, the Zurich Conservatory Orchestra and the Baden-Baden Philharmonic Orchestra.

Uros Podhostnik was born in Slovenia in 1988 and has been studying at the Freiburg University of Music since 2008. In 2007 he won second prize at the Slovenian national competition in the chamber music category and in 2008 he came second in the solo trombone category. He has played in the CEIYO European Youth Orchestra and as a substitute in the Freiburg Philharmonic Orchestra.

"BBQ Stuttgart" (Stuttgart State University of Music and Performing Arts)
Anke Herrmann (trumpet), Christian Wenzel (trumpet), Lisa Erchinger (horn), Max Eisenhut (trombone), Steffen Schmid (tuba)

The idea to form the brass quintet "BBQ Stuttgart" was born during a working phase of the International Regions Symphony Orchestra in the summer of 2009. The five musicians have all been studying at the Stuttgart University of Music since the 2009 winter semester, so that this idea could be realised. The members of the ensemble were and are, among other things, first national prizewinners of Jugend musiziert, prizewinners of the Passau International Brass Competition, interns with the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra, interns with the Stuttgart State Orchestra and have played in national and international orchestras such as the German National Youth Orchestra, the International Regions Symphony Orchestra and the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie. An early success for the ensemble was receiving the 2009 Bruno Frey Foundation Prize, awarded by the Baden-Württemberg State Music Academy. As scholarship holders of the Brass Academy, as part of the Oberstdorf Music Summer 2010, the quintet, under the direction of Prof. Henning Wiegräbe, was able to work intensively on new works, including for planned concerts in the greater Stuttgart area and a concert tour to Brandenburg and Berlin. BBQ Stuttgart's chamber music is supervised by Wolfgang Bauer, Christian Lampert, Henning Wiegräbe and Stefan Heimann, all professors at the Stuttgart University of Music.