Mortier Awards
Visionary art in portrait.
The Mortier Awards association honours the legacy of Ruhrtriennale’s founding artistic director Gerard Mortier who championed bold artistic innovation and societal dialogue. In 2025, the Mortier Award (Lifetime Achievement Award) will be awarded to conductor Hartmut Haenchen, while director Frieda Lange will receive the Mortier Next Generation Award (Emerging Talent Prize). Both artists will be honored on 21 September 2025 at 1 pm at Jahrhunderthalle Bochum, in the presence of Ina Brandes, Minister of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia. The ceremony will be followed by a panel discussion with both artists as part of the Brave New Voices series, focusing on the theme of artistic freedom.
Jury statements
"Hartmut Haenchen is a passionate boundary-crosser who reinterprets the seemingly familiar from the margins and challenges tradition with a fresh perspective. A kindred spirit of Mortier, who entrusted him with major productions in Paris and Madrid. An open, unflinching mind, shaped by the fault lines between East and West, history and the present, imagination and intellect – unwavering in his belief in the transformative power of the arts." – Albrecht Thiemann
"Frieda Lange believes in the political significance of multiperspective storytelling. Her stage narratives are both moving and accessible to a broad audience. Her work reveals exceptional artistic potential and impresses with poetic vision and a strong clarity regarding physical realization." – Ivo Van Hove
Directions and arrival
Jahrhunderthalle Bochum
An der Jahrhunderthalle 1
44793 Bochum
Accessibility at the venue
