Polish composer and 2011 Paderewski Lecturer Paweł Łukaszewski was granted the 2014 Hector Berlioz Prize of the prestigious Orphées d’Or at a ceremony on June 30 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. The Orphées d’Or are the annual Grand Prizes given out by the Academie du Disque Lyrique, and the Hector Berlioz Prize category specifically recognizes the year’s best recording of sacred music. Łukaszewski was honored for the disc featuring his Missa di Maria a Magdala, issued by DUX. The CD has previously received the Choc de Classica award and a Fryderyk Award nomination.
Amongst the other winners of the 2014 Orphées d’Or are such giants of the classical music world as Jonas Kaufmann, Renée Fleming, Krzysztof Penderecki, Philippe Jaroussky, and Joyce DiDonato.
[Sources: polmic.pl, lukaszewski.org.uk, academiedudisquelyrique.com]