The Vienna-based quartet receives the prize worth €60,000 and includes numerous concert engagements
The Jürgen Ponto Foundation for the Promotion of Young Artists has awarded its eighth Music Prize to the Motus Quartet. The prize is worth €60,000 and includes concert engagements at the Beethovenfest Bonn, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, FaustForum in Staufen, Vienna Konzerthaus and Zurich Tonhalle. These festivals and venues are cooperation partners of the Jürgen Ponto Foundation in organising the Music Prize.
Founded in 2022, the Motus Quartet is based in Vienna and comprises violinists Tim de Vries and Karla Križ, violist Erin Pitts and cellist Domonkos Hartmann. The ensemble currently studies with Johannes Meissl at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.
The quartet has also received artistic guidance from Eckart Runge, Oliver Wille, Hatto Beyerle and Valentin Erben, among others, through the European Chamber Music Academy and Accademia Perosi. A particularly formative experience for the quartet has been its ongoing collaboration with György Kurtág, with whom the ensemble enjoys a close artistic relationship.
In May 2026, the Motus Quartet won first prize and four special awards at the 12th International Chamber Music Competition in Osaka. In March 2025, it was awarded first prize and the special prize for the best interpretation of an Early Classical work at the 10th International Joseph Joachim Chamber Music Competition in Weimar.
The Jürgen Ponto Foundation Music Prize is awarded every two years. It is open to string quartets from Germany, Austria and Switzerland whose members are generally no older than 35 and who have already won an international competition.
The selection jury consisted of Gregor Sigl (violinist and violist; Music Curator of the Jürgen Ponto Foundation), Annett Baumeister (FaustForum Staufen), Laura Thomsen (Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival), Annette Semrau (Beethovenfest Bonn), Julika Meixner (Vienna Konzerthaus), Marc Barwisch (Tonhalle Society Zurich) and Ralf Suermann (Executive Board, Jürgen Ponto Foundation).
Previous recipients since 2012 have included the Amaryllis Quartet, Schumann Quartet, Aris Quartet, Vision Quartet, Goldmund Quartet, Leonkoro Quartet and Javus Quartet.
Read: Verbier Festival Academy announces prizewinners for 2026
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