Riccardo Muti (84), Italian star conductor and long-time director of La Scala in Milan, will receive the Ratzinger Prize 2025.
Pope Leo XIV will present him with the award on 12 December, as announced by the Vatican Foundation on Monday.
The award ceremony will take place as part of the Vatican Christmas concert, which Muti will conduct in the Audience Hall, according to the Joseph Ratzinger Benedict XVI Vatican Foundation, which has been awarding the "Premio Ratzinger" since 2011.
The immense value of Muti's art is generally recognised, and Benedict XVI (2005-2013) was also one of his admirers, it said. For his part, the award winner explained that he had deeply admired the Pope and had also met him after his retirement in 2013.
"His thoughts, reflections and meditations were and are a source of inspiration for all people of good will," said the musician.
The last private meeting with the Pope will remain a "memory full of faith and hope" for him and his wife, explained Muti.
La Scala Milan and "Opera Academy"
Riccardo Muti, celebrated conductor of international orchestras, lives in Ravenna, where he directs the "Italian Opera Academy - Riccardo Muti" for young artists in his field.
From 1987 to 2005, he was musical director of La Scala in Milan.
Among other things, Muti performed Johann Sebastian Bach's Mass in B minor with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in front of Pope John Paul II (1978-2005) at the Vatican in 2000.
Established in 2011, the Ratzinger Prize is awarded annually with the Pope's approval and on the recommendation of the Foundation's Scientific Committee to outstanding personalities in the field of Christian culture and art.
Previous winners include theologians, biblical scholars, philosophers, lawyers and artists from various continents and denominations.