A cello concerto drawing on concepts of sutures, mended objects, visible scars and ultimately healing, has won the 2026 Grawemeyer Award in Music Composition from the University of Louisville. “A Sutured World,” by Australian composer Liza Lim, is a four-movement work that is inspired by Buddhist sutras and the Japanese concept of kintsugi: a process for repairing broken ceramic using gold leaf to highlight, rather than conceal, the cracks.

Lim’s concerto seems to find every possible sound the cello (and orchestra) can make: lyrical, crunchy, percussive and resonant. It’s well-balanced with moments that pull you to the edge of your seat and others that feel like a meditation. It’s also playful: the last movement is a dual take on the children’s game “Simon says” and the German children’s

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