The Dutch-born conductor Mischa Santora (b. 1972) comes originally from a family of Hungarian musicians. After his family moved to Switzerland, Santora learnt to play the violin with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra where his father was a musician. He continued his musical studies at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin where he received his diploma as a music teacher. He went on to study conducting at the Courtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia under Otto-Werner Mueller. In 1998, at the age of 26, he received the Aspen Conducting Prize. Mischa Santora is associate conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra and conductor of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. In recent yeas he has conducted some of the leading orchestras in the US (e.g. National Symphony of Washington D.C.) and Europe (e.g. Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Luzerner Sinfonieorchester). Mischa Santora has built up for himself a distinct musical profile through innovative programs and orchestrations, creative collaborations with dance companies and theaters, and intriguing interpretations of contemporary music, and earned acclaim from critics and audience alike.

The Foundation Board awarded a promotion grant of CHF 10,000 to this highly creative and innovative conductor for his contribution to the cultivation of both old and modern music traditions.