Composer-conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen has won the $100,000 Michael Ludwig Nemmers Prize in Music Composition, awarded by Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. The biennial award honors contemporary composers of outstanding achievement who have significantly influenced the field of composition.

Salonen, who will return in April for two weeks of programs at Symphony Center, is the latest name on an illustrious list of Nemmers winners, including Aaron Jay Kernis (2012), John Luther Adams (2010), Kaija Saariaho (2008), Oliver Knussen (2006) and John Adams (2004).

“It is with great pride and appreciation that I accept the Nemmers Prize this year,” Salonen said. “The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has long been a musical home away from home for me, and I look forward to developing a relationship with the Northwestern students and faculty. The possibilities at educational institutions are always intriguing, but the Bienen School’s special amalgam of creativity and merit makes this opportunity even more exciting.”