Inaugurated in 1997, the Anton Seidl Award is given to those who have made major contributions to the performance and appreciation of Wagner’s works in the U.S.
The award is named in honor of Anton Seidl, pictured at right in 1895, who conducted the premieres of most Wagner operas at the Met and in Philadelphia, and who was New York’s leading symphonic conductor before his death here in 1898.
An occasional award (in the form of an elaborate scroll), it is presented at an exclusive event attended by our members and the award recipient, and often featuring an interview, special remarks and a reception.
The Anton Seidl award has been given to James Levine, Birgit Nilsson, Jon Vickers, James Morris, Speight Jenkins (director of the Seattle Opera), Otto Schenk and Günther Schneider-Siemssen (director and designer respectively of the 1986-2009 Met Ring production), and, in 2010, to Plácido Domingo. More recent award recipients include:
