The heart of Gaudeamus lies in the Gaudeamus Award: our annual encouragement prize for young composers. Four composers competed for this coveted award, and their music was featured in various concerts. For the festival, they also composed brand-new works. Gen Tanaka wrote for ensemble VONK, creating the piece Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy. Tanaka's music is deeply spiritual and personal, with the vocalist taking on the role of a shaman in a psychedelic, dreamlike sound world.