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‘Unmistakable’ Stephan Eicher awarded Swiss music prize

Stephan Eicher
Stephan Eicher in action in Zurich in 2017 Keystone / Walter Bieri

Bernese musician Stephan Eicher will receive the Grand Prix Music 2021, presented by the Federal Office of Culture and worth CHF100,000 ($111,000).

As a “cosmopolitan chansonnier”, Swiss musician Stephan Eicher “lets his words and melodies travel around the world”, the office said in a statementExternal link on Thursday.

Eicher, 60, became known in German-speaking countries as early as 1981 with the song Eisbär (polar bear) recorded with the band Grauzone. His success in France began a year later with the album Les Chansons Bleues (blue songs).

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His “unmistakable voice” and songs in French, English, German, Italian and Bernese dialect have reached a wide audience in Switzerland and abroad, the culture office said.

The award will be presented on September 17 at the LAC Lugano. Fourteen other musicians will each receive CHF25,000 honouring their contributions to the Swiss music scene.

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