Polar Music Prize 2013 Awarded to Kaija Saariaho & Youssou N’Dour

07/05/2013

Kaija Saariaho
Photo: Priska Ketterer.

The Laureates of the Polar Music Prize 2013 are Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho and Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour. The Jury says for Saariaho: « After studying at IRCAM in Paris, an institution for research and study of electro-acoustic music, Kaija Saariaho has developed into a unique composer, a metal worker’s daughter who reexamines what music can be. When she was growing up, the music that inspired her came not from the radio but from the pillow; that was where she found the music she dreamt of. Kaija Saariaho combines acoustic instruments with electronics and computers. She has written chamber music, orchestral works and operas. Kaija Saariaho is a modern maestro who opens up our ears and causes their anvils and stirrups to fall in love. »

The citation for Youssou N’Dour reads: « The Polar Music Prize 2013 is awarded to Youssou N’Dour from Senegal. A West African griot is not just a singer, but a storyteller, poet, singer of praise, entertainer and verbal historian. Youssou N’Dour is maintaining the griot tradition and has shown that it can also be changed into a narrative about the entire world. With his exceptionally exuberant band Super Étoile de Dakar (Dakar star) and his musically ground breaking and political solo albums, Youssou N’Dour has worked to reduce animosities between his own religion, Islam, and other religions. His voice encompasses an entire continent’s history and future, blood and love, dreams and power. »

On 27 August the Laureates will receive the prize from His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden at a gala ceremony at the Stockholm Concert Hall to be followed by a celebratory banquet at Grand Hôtel. The ceremony will be broadcast live on national television (TV4). Later in the evening, a summary of the ceremony and the banquet will be broadcast. Each recipient receives a total amount of one million SEK (117.000 Euros).

The Polar Music Prize is an international music prize, which is awarded to individuals, groups or institutions in recognition of exceptional achievements in the creation and advancement of music. It was founded in 1989 by the late Stig Anderson. He was the publisher, lyricist and manager of the pop group ABBA. The name of the prize stems from Anderson’s record label, Polar Music.

Previous Laureates

2012 Yo-Yo Ma and Paul Simon

2011 Kronos Quartet and Patti Smith

2010 Ennio Morricone and Björk

2009 José Antonio Abreu & El Sistema and Peter Gabriel

2008 Renée Fleming and Pink Floyd

2007 Steve Reich and Sonny Rollins

2006 Valery Gergiev and Led Zeppelin

2005 Gilberto Gil and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

2004 B.B. King and György Ligeti

2003 Keith Jarrett

2002 Sofia Gubaidulina and Miriam Makeba