Jolanda Otto wins this year's Werner Richter Trophy
Municipal music school honours special accordion achievements
At the 27th Saxon Accordion Competition "Werner Richter", Jolanda Otto from Freiberg was awarded the Werner Richter Trophy at the weekend following the judgement of an expert jury. The 13-year-old received the prize from Richter's widow, Thea Richter. The Werner Richter Competition is a Saxony-wide accordion competition that takes place every year at the Chemnitz Municipal Music School.
This year, 32 accordion and bandoneon students aged 8 to 52 from all over Saxony took part in the competition. They competed in a variety of categories, from solo and duo to chamber music and ensembles. This day full of music was crowned by a concert followed by an awards ceremony, at which the accordion duo Heidi and Uwe Steger were also guests.
Werner Richter was one of the founding teachers of the Chemnitz music school in 1950 and headed the accordion department for decades until his retirement. He was a pillar of music school life that many of today's teachers still remember well. He was respected and appreciated by colleagues and students alike. He could be relied upon to write suitable, inspiring and often amusing works for his students and ensembles, whether beginners or advanced.
The 28th Saxon Accordion Competition "Werner Richter" will take place on 28 September 2024 at the Städtische Musikschule Chemnitz.