Barbara Hannigan Receives Polar Music Prize 2025

The Canadian soprano and conductor will receive one million Swedish krona in a ceremony on May 27

The Canadian soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan has recently been announced as one of three recipients of the prestigious Polar Music Prize — alongside the British band Queen and jazz legend Herbie Hancock.

Established in 1989 by former ABBA manager Stig Anderson, the prize carries a value of one million Swedish kroner (approximately $94,000) and is awarded annually to recognize exceptional achievement in music. Hannigan will receive the honor at a ceremony in Stockholm on May 27, 2025.

Hannigan is presently Principal Guest Conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and l'Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, and Associate Artist with the London Symphony Orchestra. In 2026, she will become Chief Conductor and Artistic Director of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.

She is also a soprano and has appeared at London's Royal Opera House, the Teatro San Carlo in Naples, the Paris Opera's Palais Garnier, New York's Lincoln Center, and the opera houses of Berlin, Hamburg, and Munich, among others.

The winners of the Polar Music Prize are selected by an independent board of eleven members. They receive nominations from the public as well as from the International Music Council, a UNESCO-founded NGO which promotes geographical and musical diversity.

"I am deeply moved and humbled to receive this year’s Polar Music Prize," Hannigan said. "Thank you so much for including me among this incredible and inspiring group of Laureates."

"It is our immense privilege to honor and award these three Laureates at the 2025 Polar Music Prize," said Marie Ledin, managing director of the prize.

"Barbara Hannigan is a presence like no other; a passionate soprano and conductor of a unique and courageous path. We are looking forward to celebrating all three recipients at this year’s event."