Culture Prize 2025: Tom & Basti and Fioranti enrich the region

Culture Prize 2025: Tom & Basti and Fioranti enrich the region

Last Sunday, October 12th, the love of music was once again celebrated at the Kurhaus Freyung. The Freyung-Grafenau district presented its cultural awards on this day, a tradition that is now almost 40 years old. District Administrator Sebastian Gruber opened the celebratory event and underlined the central role that culture plays in the region's attitude to life. This also confirms muw news, because each award is intended to honor the achievements of artists and cultural workers.

This year, the culture prize went to the music duo Tom & Basti from Mauth, while the sponsorship prize went to the talented pianist Giulia Timea Fioranti from Waldkirchen. Their musical performances not only thrilled those in attendance, but also underlined the immense creativity and talent in the region. Tom & Basti are not only known for their genuine folk music, but also for their humor and deep connection to their homeland, which makes them true figureheads of the Bavarian Forest, as Erich Pauli emphasized in his speech.

Music and emotions take center stage

The award winners themselves provided the musical accompaniment to the event, with Giulia Fioranti demonstrating her skills with Sibelius’ “Sapin”, while Tom & Basti presented their own compositions such as “s’Bacherl”. These performances offered a successful framework to honor the artists and a noticeable connection to the regionality that both groups embody. In her thanks, Giulia Fioranti remembered her musical family, who supported her from childhood - a beautiful homage that gave the guests goosebumps.

The joy of the award ceremony was reinforced by the commitment of the award winners: Both artists decided to donate half of their prize to children's cancer aid and the Freyung-Grafenau hospice association, a sign of compassion and social responsibility that is making waves not only in the region.

Strengthen art and culture in the district

The district's cultural advisory board had previously viewed numerous nominations and suggested the winners, which were then decided by the district committee. This process ensures that honors are only given to the most outstanding personalities, which underlines the importance of the culture and support award. Merits already made are recognized, as are young talents and innovative ideas Freyung-Grafenau highlights.

Another event that caused a stir this week was the discussion about cultural awards in Germany. A particular focus was on the question of how important such awards are for artists. A cultural policy forum took place that discussed Germany's role as the “world champion” of cultural awards. This illustrates how deeply rooted the culture is in Germany, as the present discussion shows kulturpreise.de makes clear.

All in all, this year's awards ceremony shows once again how valuable cultural achievements are for the community. Tom & Basti and Giulia Fioranti are not only creative minds, they are also examples of the talent that lies dormant in the region - and that gives hope for the future!