Johan Wagenaar Composition Oeuvre Prize 2026

Calliope Tsoupaki has been awarded the Johan Wagenaar Prijs 2026 in recognition of her complete body of work. Awarded once every six years, the Johan Wagenaar Prijs is one of the Netherlands’ most prestigious distinctions for composers, recognising a composer’s complete oeuvre.

With this award, Tsoupaki writes history as the first woman to receive the Johan Wagenaar Prijs.

The independent jury, chaired by Pieter van Loenen and comprising Emi Ohi Resnick, Jorrit Tamminga, Maarten van Boven, Yannis Kyriakides and Hanna Shybayeva, reached its decision unanimously.

According to the jury, Calliope Tsoupaki stands out for her distinctive artistic voice and her consistent commitment to forging her own path:

“Calliope Tsoupaki dares to forge her own path and has established a strong presence. She has a substantial and highly personal body of work of the highest quality. Her music appeals to a wide audience. She has found her own voice and is innovative in her projects. Each work bears a unique and recognisable musical and compositional signature. The often lyrical nature of her works touches the audience. The jury is full of praise for the way in which she manages to incorporate her own cultural background into her work. As well as being a brilliant composer, she is also a key advocate for new music. She is everywhere, attends many concerts, is highly visible and is deeply committed to contemporary music.”

The Johan Wagenaar Prijs is presented by the Johan Wagenaar Stichting, which has been dedicated to recognising and stimulating musical quality in the Netherlands since its foundation in 1947. The foundation curates several music prizes on behalf of the Municipality of The Hague, with the Johan Wagenaar Prijs being its most prominent award.

The prize is unique in the Netherlands as a distinction for a composer’s complete oeuvre. Today, the foundation manages the Kees van Baaren Prijs, the Willem Pijper Prijs, the Theo Bruins Prijs and the Johan Wagenaar Prijs.

The award ceremony is taking place on 16 October 2026 at Amare in The Hague, during a concert by the Residentie Orkest. The programme will include two of Tsoupaki’s orchestral works: Falling and the prize-winning Thin Air, in an orchestral version specially arranged by the composer for the Residentie Orkest in 2021.

As part of the festivities surrounding the award, Tsoupaki curated the 77th edition of the Dag in de Branding festival, choosing the theme Ars Nova and creating a programme that brought together music spanning from the medieval period to the present day.