Riccardo Muti, the esteemed international conductor with strong Chicago ties, will be recognized by Pope Leo XIV this month with the prestigious Ratzinger Prize.
The award, established in 2011 by the late Pope Benedict XVI, has been nicknamed the “Nobel Prize of Theology” and recognizes significant contributions to theology, philosophy and the arts.
Muti, the Italian-born maestro, is considered one of the most esteemed living conductors. A familiar face among local classical fans, Muti spent more than a decade as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s music director before transitioning to an emeritus role in 2023. He most recently led the Chicago orchestra in two weekends of concerts this fall and will take the musicians on tour through California in January.
“The immense value of Maestro Muti’s art is universally recognized, and even Benedict XVI considered himself a sincere admirer,” the Ratzinger Foundation wrote in a statement.
The late German-born pope was a music fan who played the piano and had a deep appreciation for Mozart. He and Muti met and spent time together, according to the foundation.
“I have always followed and deeply admired Pope Benedict XVI, whose thoughts, reflections, and meditations have been and will be a source of nourishment for men and women of good will,” Muti said in the statement. “My wife and I will cherish the memory of our last private meeting with Benedict, filled with faith and hope.”
Pope Leo, who himself has Chicago roots, will present Muti the award during a Dec. 12 Christmas concert at the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall. Muti will also conduct that day’s performance.
The ceremony will honor Muti’s “outstanding achievements,” but will also be a chance to “recall with gratitude and emotion his personal friendship and cultural and spiritual understanding with the unforgettable Pope Benedict,” according to the Ratzinger Foundation.
Past winners of the prize have included theologians, biblical scholars, philosophers and artists from around the world. The annual recipients must be approved by the pope. This is the second consecutive year that the Ratzinger recipient has had Midwest connections. Last year, Notre Dame theology professor Cyril O’Regan won the award.
Pope Leo made history in May when he became the first American elected pope. Born on the South Side and raised in suburban Dolton, Leo has been given ample reminders of his Chicago connections in recent weeks. Over the weekend, the pontiff was given a baseball bat once owned by White Sox Hall of Famer Nellie Fox. It was gifted to the pope by a CBS News correspondent while aboard a plane on the pope’s first foreign trip.
Gov. JB Pritzker also brought the pope gifts during a November meeting, including a four-pack of “Da Pope” craft beer from Burning Bush Brewery on the North Side.
Courtney Kueppers is an arts and culture reporter at WBEZ.