The POLAR MUSIC PRIZE was presented on Monday 21 May for the sixteenth year in
succession. The laureates were the American composer and musician Steve Reich and
the American tenor saxophonist and composer Sonny Rollins. Each laureate received
prize money to the amount of one million Swedish kronor (approx US$ 140.000 or €
108.000).
His Majesty the King of Sweden awarded the prizes du ring a nationally televised
(www.tv4.se) ceremony, which took place at the Stockholm Concert Hall. The
subsequent banquet was held at the Grand Hotel’s Winter Garden.
Her Majesty The Queen, Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria, Her Royal Highness
Princess Lilian, Minister of Culture Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth and the Amer ican Ambassador
in Stockholm, Michael M. Wood attended the festivities together with many dignitaries
and celebrities from the world of music, industry, show business and media.
The Polar Music Prize, which was inaugurated by Stikkan Anderson in 1989 through a
donation to the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, is one of the world’s most unique and
prestigious music prizes. According to its charter, the prize is to be awarded to a
musician or musicians of any nationality for “significant achievements in music and/or
musical life, or for achievements which are believed to be of great potential importance
for the advancement of music and/or musical life” and “shall cover all fields within music
or be closely connected with it”.
Petra Nordlund McGahan was the host at the Stockholm Concert Hall. The prizegiving
ceremony opened with a performance of Steve Reich’s “Music for Pieces of Wood” by
Swedish percussion ensemble Kroumata. Kroumata also performed Reich’s “Drumming,
Part I” and “Sextet, Third Movement”. Saxophonist Lennart Åberg and pianist Bobo
Stenson performed “Alfie’s Theme” by Sonny Rollins. Viktoria Tolstoy sang “’Round
Midnight” by Thelonious Monk supported by Jonas Kullhammar Quartet. Swedish hip hop
artist Timbuktu and Damn! performed Timbuktu’s own song “Karmakontot” together
with Lennart Åberg, Bobo Stenson and Jonas Kullhammar. Guitarist Mats Bergström
gave his interpretation of Reich’s “Electric Counterpoint”. Jonas Kullhammar Quartet
performed Rollins’ “Oleo” and the prize-giving ceremony ended with everyone taking
part in Rollins’ calypso “Don’t Stop the Carnival”.
Choreographer Margaretha Åsberg read the tribute Steve Reich and Eagle-Eye Cherry,
son of late Don Cherry who was touring with Sonny Rollins in the si xties, read the
tribute to Sonny Rollins.
At the subsequent banquet the guests were served Assorted plate with Swedish
specialities as an hors d’oeuvre, Lemon-fried Swedish tenderloin of milk lamb and morelstuffed
steak, with baby carrots, asparagus, Gotland truffle sauce and new potatoes as a
main course, and Strawberries with vanilla ice-cream, toffee biscuit, whipped cream and
brown sugar for dessert. Guitar duo Gothenburg Combo, Swedish jazz ensemble Yttling
Jazz and Eagle-Eye Cherry gave highly enjoyable and well-received performances.
A Polar Music Prize week, including 23 different activities, was arranged in connection
with the presentations. This music festival is the realisation of donor Stikkan Anderson’s
vision that the prize should be a festival of music that gives the general public an
opportunity to experience the deeper qualities of the laureates and their music. The
festival ends with a concert by Sonny Rollins and his band at the Stockholm Concert
Hall, Tuesday 22 May at 8 PM CET.
From approximately 15.00 hours CET on Tuesday 22 May the prize ceremony and banquet
broadcast will be available for viewing on this website. The site also contains downloadable publicity photos and other press material.
Previous Prizewinners
1992 Sir Paul McCartney and the Baltic States
1993 Dizzy Gillespie and Witold Lutoslawski
1994 Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Quincy Jones
1995 Sir Elton John and Mstislav Rostropovitch
1996 Pierre Boulez and Joni Mitchell
1997 Eric Ericson and Bruce Springsteen
1998 Ray Charles and Ravi Shankar
1999 Stevie Wonder and Iannis Xenakis
2000 Bob Dylan and Isaac Stern
2001 Burt Bacharach, Robert Moog and Karlheinz Stockhausen
2002 Sofia Gubaidulina and Miriam Makeba
2003 Keith Jarrett
2004 B.B. King and György Ligeti
2005 Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Gilberto Gil
2006 Led Zeppelin and Valery Gergiev
