Yo-Yo Ma, Paul Simon share Polar Prize
Yo-Yo Ma, Paul Simon share Polar Prize
A couple of musicians who don’t need the money are the winners of 2012 Polar Music Prize, Sweden’s most prestigious award of its type.
Singer-songwriter Paul Simon and classical cellist Yo-Yo Ma will get $166,000 each and an invitation to the prize ceremony on Aug. 28.
Calling Ma the “leading cellist of our time,” the prize jury said Tuesday that he has “has dedicated his virtuosity and his heart to journeys of musical exploration and discovery around the world.”
The citation praised Simon as a “world-class songwriter” who captured the currents of his time with “consummate skill, innovative arrangements and provocative lyrics.”
Founded by Stig Anderson, the late manager of the Swedish pop group ABBA, the award has been handed out annually since 1992.
It is usually shared by a pop or jazz artist and a classical musician who don’t need the money.
Past winners include Bruce Springsteen, Led Zeppelin, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Robert Moog and Pierre Boulez.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
