The jury has assessed the seven theses submitted for the 2025 Hélène Nolthenius Prize. The theses cover a wide range of topics: expressions of freedom in the improvisation of women of colour, the decolonisation of the Jaap Kunst Sound Collection, the Russian avant-garde of the 1920s, “just intonation” in Marc Sabat's “Asking Ocean”, children’s songs in the Northern Netherlands in the early modern period, masculinity in the choreographies of Frederick Ashton, and Frans Geysens' avant-garde manifesto.

According to the jury, two theses stood out. The jury therefore proposed not only to select a winner this year, but also to award an honourable mention.

The latter was awarded to “The Dance That Does Not Speak Its Name: Choreomusical Masculinity in the Works of Frederick Ashton” by Maria Schreurs (supervised by Annelies Andries at Utrecht University).

This thesis receives a special honourable mention for its original, interdisciplinary application of choreomusical analysis, combining methods from film music, dance studies and gender studies. Schreurs demonstrates impressive expertise by combining these with great depth and effectiveness in her research into how masculinity is represented in Frederick Ashton's ballets.

The thesis that surprised the jury most because of its combination of expertise and originality, and is therefore the winner of the 2025 Hélène Nolthenius Prize, is: ‘“As the Old Sing, So Sing the Young”: Children, Song Culture, and Socialisation in the Early Modern Northern Netherlands (1565–1700)’ by Maria Zwartbol (supervised by Annelies Andries at Utrecht University).

The winning thesis examines the role that songs and singing in the vernacular played in the socialisation of children in the early modern Northern Netherlands—an underresearched theme in song studies (not just with regard to the early modern Netherlands). With a careful analysis that combines methods from the History of Emotions with a thorough textual examination of various case studies, Zwartbol shows that there is a rich collection of source material that can provide insight into how crucial singing was to the upbringing of children by parents, family and the broader socio-religious environment, as well as in education. From babies to young adults, songs were key in the transmission of affective religious and cultural norms, as well as for recognising and acknowledging affective experiences.

The jury for the 2025 Hélène Nolthenius Prize consisted of Dr Antonio Chemotti (Catholic University of Leuven), Dr Michiel Kamp (Utrecht University) and Dr Anne van Oostrum (University of Amsterdam). The award ceremony will take place during a KVNM symposium in the winter. Further information will follow shortly.