Birgit Nilsson Prize

Last updated
The Birgit Nilsson Prize
Awarded foroutstanding achievement in classical music and opera
Country Sweden
Presented byBirgit Nilsson Stiftelsen
Reward(s)US$1.000.000
First awarded2009
Website http://birgitnilsson.com/prize

The Birgit Nilsson Prize is the largest prize in classical music, awarded approximately every three years to an active artist or institution who has contributed an important chapter to music history.

Contents

Towards the end of her unparalleled, long and distinguished career, the legendary Swedish dramatic soprano Birgit Nilsson established the Birgit Nilsson Foundation exclusively to support this Prize. Being very concerned with the general decline of cultural values, in particular with the decline of performance standards in opera, and encountering much greater difficulties in the early years of her career than is generally known to the public, Birgit Nilsson believed that overcoming these difficulties motivated her and contributed to her future success. Along with honouring great artists and artistry, it was her hope in establishing this Prize to provide incentive and inspiration to young artists to sustain their efforts to reach full potential by planning their careers over the long term and to perpetuate the art form.

The philosophy behind the Birgit Nilsson Prize is to perpetuate the legacy of Birgit Nilsson and Sweden’s great operatic tradition by paying tribute to today’s outstanding, active figures in music, recognizing the excellence of their work and their major contributions.

Laureates

Birgit Nilsson personally chose the first laureate and put the chosen name in a sealed envelope to be opened three years after her death, which was on Christmas Day 2005. The envelope was opened on 20 February 2009 and the first laureate, who received the award, was the opera tenor and conductor Plácido Domingo. [1] Plácido Domingo’s worldwide career is legendary – singing 130 different roles, more than any other tenor in history. Domingo’s musicality is confirmed by his extraordinary repertoire and singing career as well as his accomplishments as a conductor, administrator, humanitarian, and creator of young artist programs and competitions.

In 2011, the second laureate, conductor Riccardo Muti, was selected by a distinguished international panel of classical music experts from the major countries where Birgit Nilsson was most active during her career. Cited for his "extraordinary contributions in opera and concert, as well as his enormous influence in the music world both on and off the stage."

The Birgit Nilsson Prize for 2014 was awarded to the Vienna Philharmonic, [2] which is being recognized for its extraordinary contributions during its 172 years of work in opera and concert, as well as for its enormous worldwide influence in the music world both on and off the stage through live performance, recordings, and other media.

The prize for 2018 was awarded to the Swedish soprano Nina Stemme. [3] [4]

In 2022, cellist Yo-Yo Ma received the award. [5] [6] Reason: "Through exceptional musicianship, passion and dedication, Yo-Yo Ma’s commitment to music helps us to imagine and build a stronger society and better future". [7] [6]

Jury

The panel members, who are appointed by and work with the Foundation’s board and who serve for a period of three years, are currently:

Award Ceremony

The first and second award ceremonies of the Birgit Nilsson Prize took place at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm. On the stage where Birgit Nilsson made her debut, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden presented the prize personally to star tenor, conductor and opera house director Plácido Domingo in 2008, and to Maestro Riccardo Muti, the 2011 Prize laureate. The Birgit Nilsson Prize for 2014 was presented to the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra at the Concert Hall in Stockholm on October 8, 2014.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yo-Yo Ma</span> American cellist (born 1955)

Yo-Yo Ma is an American cellist. Born and partially raised in Paris to Chinese parents and educated in New York City, he was a child prodigy, performing from the age of four and a half. He graduated from the Juilliard School and Harvard University, attended Columbia University, and has performed as a soloist with orchestras around the world. He has recorded more than 90 albums and received 19 Grammy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herbert Blomstedt</span> Swedish conductor

Herbert Thorson Blomstedt is a Swedish conductor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gidon Kremer</span> Latvian violinist

Gidon Kremer is a Latvian classical violinist, artistic director, and founder of Kremerata Baltica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birgit Nilsson</span> Swedish dramatic soprano (1918–2005)

Märta Birgit Nilsson was a Swedish dramatic soprano. Although she sang a wide repertoire of operatic and vocal works, Nilsson was best known for her performances in the operas of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. Her voice was noted for its overwhelming force, bountiful reserves of power, and the gleaming brilliance and clarity in the upper register.

Walter Taussig was an Austrian conductor. He was born in Vienna, and died in New York, New York, US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nina Stemme</span> Swedish opera singer

Nina Maria Stemme is a Swedish dramatic soprano opera singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Krause</span> Finnish opera singer

Tom Gunnar Krause was a Finnish operatic bass-baritone, particularly associated with Mozart roles.

The KAIROS Prize has been awarded to European artists and scholars from the fields of visual and performing arts, music, architecture, design, film, photography, literature and journalism since 2007 by the Alfred Toepfer Foundation in Hamburg. It is endowed with a sum of 75,000 Euro.

Jonathan Philip Darlington is a British conductor, Music Director Emeritus of the Vancouver Opera and the former Music Director of the Duisburg Philharmonic Orchestra. He is known for his broad repertoire of both opera and symphonic music and appears regularly with major orchestras and opera houses, most notably the Paris Opera, Vienna State Opera, Frankfurt Oper, Orchestre National de France, Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra Sinfonica del San Carlo di Napoli, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, the National Orchestra of Taiwan, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, English National Opera and Opera Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Orchestra of the Americas</span> Symphony orchestra representing Western Hemisphere countries

The Orchestra of the Americas (OA) is a Latin Grammy Award winning symphony orchestra of musical leaders, ages 18 to 30, representing more than 25 countries of the Western Hemisphere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josep Caballé Domenech</span> Spanish conductor

Josep Caballé Domenech is a Spanish conductor. He has recently been appointed Principal Conductor of the Moritzburg Festival Germany) and he is also in his eighth season as Music Director of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic(USA). Besides, former General Music Director of the Staatskapelle Halle (Germany) from 2013 to 2018, Music Director of the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra (Colombia) during 2018 as well as principal guest conductor of the Norrköping Symphony (Sweden) from 2005 to 2007. "Protégé" of Sir Colin Davis in the inaugural cycle of Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative. Caballé Domenech enjoys combining his conducting career with a great symphonic and operatic repertoire.

The Preis der Europäischen Kirchenmusik is a German music prize awarded annually since 1999 by the Schwäbisch Gmünd Festival Europäische Kirchenmusik. Awards are given to excellent composers and artists for achievements in the field of sacred music. The prize is endowed with €5,000.

The Brahms-Preis has been awarded by the Brahms Society of Schleswig-Holstein since 1988. The prize is furnished with 10,000 euros. It rewards artists who have contributed mesmerizing work for the preservation of the artistic heritage of Johannes Brahms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Weinius</span> Swedish operatic tenor (born 1971)

Michael Weinius is a Swedish operatic tenor. After winning first prize at the 2008 international Wagner competition in Seattle, Weinius has quickly established himself as one of Europe's most sought after tenors.

Turid Karlsen is a Norwegian operatic soprano and voice teacher who has had an active international performing career since the 1980s. Known for her portrayals of roles from the dramatic soprano repertoire, she won the Kirsten Flagstad Prize in 2004 for her portrayal of Senta in Richard Wagner's Der Fliegende Holländer with the Norwegian National Opera. During her career, she has performed under the batons of several notable conductors, including Daniel Barenboim, Dennis Russell Davies, Placido Domingo, Hartmut Haenchen, Kent Nagano, and Michael Tilson Thomas. She is currently a professor of vocal music at the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst Stuttgart.

The Belmont Prize is a music award named after the place of destiny in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. The Munich-based Forberg Schneider Foundation, founded in 1997, promotes outstanding achievements in the field of contemporary music. The biennially-awarded prize is endowed with €20,000 and is one of Europe’s highest endowed awards for artistic creation.

The Telemann Prize is an annual classical music award for special achievements in interpretation, research and cultivation of the life and work of Georg Philipp Telemann.

The Würth Prize of Jeunesses Musicales Germany has been awarded since 1991 to artists, ensembles or projects who implement Jeunesses Musicales Germany's (JMD) values and objectives in an exemplary manner. Together with the Würth Foundation, the JMD has been honoring individual personalities, ensembles and projects every year. The prize is presented in Künzelsau and endowed with 25,000 euros. The jury is made up of representatives from the Würth Foundation and Jeunesses Musicales Germany and is advised by the Deutscher Musikrat. The JMD is the German section of the Jeunesses Musicales International (JMI). It was founded during the Second World War to encourage encounters between young musicians.

The Prize of the Christoph and Stephan Kaske Foundation is an annual award for promotion of new music. It was founded in 1988 by Karlheinz and Christiane Kaske in memory of their sons Christoph and Stephan. The Christoph and Stephan Kaske Foundation has its legal seat in Munich. The aim is to promote young, promising interpreters and composers in the field of new music. The award is endowed with € 10,000. The selection of the winner is made by a board of trustees. The prize is awarded in a ceremony at the Künstlerhaus am Lenbachplatz.

References

  1. ↑ "Plácido Domingo erhält den mit einer Million Dollar dotierten Birgit Nilsson Prize – neue musikzeitung". nmz (in German). Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  2. ↑ "Birgit Nilsson Preis für Wiener Philharmoniker". Salzburger Nachrichten (in German). 8 October 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  3. ↑ "Nina Stemme erhält Birgit-Nilsson-Preis". Allgemeine Zeitung (in German). 15 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  4. ↑ "Nina Stemme erhielt Birgit Nilsson Preis". SALZBURG24 (in German). 11 October 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  5. ↑ "Cellist Yo-Yo Ma erhält hoch dotierten Birgit-Nilsson-Preis – neue musikzeitung". nmz (in German). Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  6. 1 2 "Cellist Yo-Yo Ma erhält Birgit-Nilsson-Preis". Deutschlandfunk Kultur (in German). 5 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
  7. ↑ Cullingford, Martin (17 May 2022). "Yo-Yo Ma receives $1m Birgit Nilsson Prize". Gramophone. Retrieved 18 May 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.