Awarded: January 2025
Inaugural Global Flute Excellence Awards

Award Citation

The Composer of the Year 2024 award of the Global Flute Excellence Awards is presented to Lowell Liebermann in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to the contemporary flute repertoire through the creation of Flute Concerto No. 2.

Premiered in March 2024 by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, with principal flutist Stéfan Ragnar Höskuldsson under the baton of Susanna Mälkki, the concerto represents a major artistic statement within modern flute literature. The work affirms Liebermann’s singular ability to unite technical brilliance, lyrical depth, and structural clarity within a contemporary musical language that remains deeply expressive and accessible.

A Landmark Addition to the Flute Repertoire

Flute Concerto No. 2 stands as a significant expansion of the flute’s expressive and technical possibilities. The concerto demands virtuosity while maintaining a strong lyrical core, allowing the flute to function as both a heroic and introspective voice within the orchestral texture.

Liebermann’s writing reflects a deep understanding of the instrument’s character — its agility, singing line, and dramatic range — while situating the flute within a rich orchestral framework that enhances rather than obscures its voice. The result is a work that speaks convincingly to performers, composers, and audiences alike.

Composer–Performer Collaboration and Artistic Impact

The success of Flute Concerto No. 2 is inseparable from its close collaboration with leading performers and institutions. Written for and realized by artists at the highest international level, the work exemplifies a living creative dialogue between composer, soloist, conductor, and orchestra.

This collaboration underscores Liebermann’s enduring relevance as a composer whose music is not only widely performed, but actively shaped through engagement with today’s foremost musicians. The concerto has already begun to establish itself as a reference point for contemporary flute repertoire, inspiring performers and educators worldwide.

The Award

The Composer of the Year award honors composers whose work has made a significant and lasting impact on the flute through artistic originality, technical insight, and contribution to the living repertoire.

In recognizing Lowell Liebermann as Composer of the Year 2024, the Global Flute Excellence Awards acknowledge a work of exceptional artistic importance — one that strengthens the flute’s place within contemporary orchestral music and affirms the composer’s enduring influence on the instrument’s evolution.

This recognition is part of the Global Flute Excellence Awards 2024.