“Our dad liked to say, ‘Music has no boundaries, it touches, influences and changes the world’”, says Marie Ledin, daughter of Stig Anderson and Managing Director of the Polar Music Prize.

The award of one million Swedish Kronor ($145,000) was handed over to Youssou and Kaija Saariahno each by His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden at a gala ceremony at the stockholm concert hall.

The polar music prize was founded in 191 by the late Stig Stikkan Anderson the musical entrepreneur and manager behind ABBA. The prize has long been awarwded to 44 Laureates since 1992 including Sir Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Ray Charles, Ravi Shankar among others.

Quote from the Kaija Saariaho Citation:

“Kaija Saariaho is a modern maestro who opens up our ears and causes their anvils and stirrups to fall in love”

Quote from the Youssou N’Dour Citation:
“His voice encompasses an entire continent’s history and future, blood and love, dreams and power.”

Full citations and biographies and a list of all the Laureates since 1992 can be found at: www.polarmusicprize.org. To see the ceremony: www.tv4play.se