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Press Release # 2/2007 THE AWARDING OF THE POLAR MUSIC PRIZE 2007 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
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Blasieholmstorg 8, SE-111 48 STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN | Phone: +46 8 407 18 02 | Fax: +46 8 611 87 18 | E-mail: info@polarmusicprize.com | |
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Copyright © 1992-2008 Polar Music Prize. All rights reserved. The music on this web site has been made available with the due permission of STIM/NCB. Updated: 02/13/2008 | E-mail: webmaster@polarmusicprize.com | |
