At just forty years of age, and knowing he was seriously ill, Christoph Delz made his last will and testament, in which he requested that on his death the Foundation be set up. The Basel-based Christoph Delz Foundation registered as a company in September 1994 and immediately set to work.

In line with Christoph Delz’s final wishes, the foundation was set up to nurture and disseminate his musical legacy and to encourage contemporary composers to write serious art-music. Today the foundation promotes Christoph Delz’s compositions in many different ways and encourages young composers through the triennial international competition.