Nicolas Stocker wins the Moods-Aïda Alliman Prize

Since 2016, Moods and the Aïda Alliman Foundation have been awarding the Moods-Aïda Alliman Prize. Each year, a musician from Switzerland or Liechtenstein receives financial support and is also given the opportunity to perform at Moods.

A total of 24 applications were received this year for the CHF 20,000 Moods-Aïda Alliman Prize were received. These were scrutinised in detail by the three-member jury of experts. Applicants had to submit a letter of motivation and their artistic plans, with the continuity of the musician's previous work and development potential being important criteria in the assessment. The winner was Zurich-based percussionist and composer Nicolas Stocker. He convinced the expert jury with his extensive, interesting and multi-layered artistic plans, among other things, which could have a lasting impact on his artistic work. The expert jury added: "Nicolas Stocker possesses integrity, clarity and the power of visualisation. As a strong Swiss voice, his projects open up imaginative spaces and are able to inspire those around him."

Working without financial pressure
The Moods-Aïda Alliman Prize is intended to enable the supported musicians to work freely over a longer period of time. This is also how Nicolas Stocker wants to use the prize money: He plans to spend time abroad in Norway, where he can immerse himself even more deeply in the Norwegian music scene, particularly the lively scene for free improvised music in Oslo. His aim is to play with a wide variety of musicians, expand his contacts with the Norwegian scene and write music for a newly founded ensemble following his stay. The prize money removes the pressure of having to produce immediate results and Stocker can therefore afford to be abroad during the otherwise financially important main concert season in spring and autumn. In addition to the prize money, Nicolas Stocker will also have the opportunity to perform a project of his choice at Moods in the coming concert season.

Nicolas Stocker

Click on the arrow to find out more about the Zurich percussionist and composer.

Nicolas Stocker is a percussionist and composer from Zurich. His playing is characterised by polymetric complexity and a feel for meditative arcs of tension. He is co-leader of the KALI Trio, has played with Nik Bärtsch's Mobile for 10 years and has collaborated with Ricardo Villalobos, Maarja Nuut and Areni Agbabian, among others. In 2018, he released his debut solo album, on which he explores networks of rhythmic structures and ethereal sounds.