Tuesday 9 June 2015: Emmylou Harris, 13-time Grammy winner, and Dame Evelyn Glennie, the virtuoso percussionist, were today honoured as this year’s Laureates of the Polar Music Prize.

The Laureates were presented with their awards by His Majesty King Carl XVI of Sweden at the Stockholm Concert Hall.

“I never imagined I’d receive an award as important and symbolic as the Polar Music Prize.  It’s an institution that brings together people of all kinds, whatever their culture, age or beliefs, in a celebration of music’s power and diversity. I want to thank tonight’s superb organisers, the Swedish people for their hospitality and of course the prize committee for awarding me this prize.”

Dame Evelyn, the world’s first full-time classical percussionist, was accompanied at the ceremony by her mother and percussion teacher from her school in Scotland – their first meeting in over 25 years.

President Barack Obama also sent a special message about the Prize. Read out by American Ambassador to Sweden, Mr. Mark Brzezinski, President Barack Obama said: “With ingenuity and vision, artists create pieces that carry forward the belief that no matter where we are from or what language we speak, we can open our minds to similar ideas – reminding us that one note can touch us all”. 

Bruce Springsteen (a Polar Music Prize Laureate in 1997) and Patti Scialfa, friends of Emmylou Harris said: “Congratulations on the Polar Music Prize - well deserved. And thank you for gracing our songs with your voice over the years. You are our American treasure. We love you”. 

Previous Laureates include last year’s Peter Sellars and Chuck Berry and Sir Paul McCartney, Dizzy Gillespie, Sir Elton John, Kronos Quartet, Ravi Shankar, Renée Fleming, Björk, Bob Dylan, Yossou N’Dour, Patti Smith, Pink Floyd, Mstislav Rostropovich, Bruce Springsteen, Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, Led Zeppelin and Ennio Morricone. The Laureates each receive a cash prize of one million SEK as well as the Award, designed by leading Scandinavian jeweler Efva Attling.

The Polar Music Prize was founded by Stig “Stikkan” Anderson, 26 years ago.  Anderson, who was the publisher, lyricist and manager of ABBA, named the prize after his legendary record label Polar Music and created it to ‘break down musical boundaries by bringing together people from all different worlds of music.’  Learn more about the Polar Music Prize.

The Polar Music Prize cermony is available worldwide on TV4play.se.
The banquet will be broadcasted live on TV4play.se at 8 pm.

PO Box 55777, SE-114 83 Stockholm, Sweden. Phone: +468 629 53 00 Fax: +468 662 50 00
info@polarmusicprize.org | www.polarmusicprize.org