The Léonie Sonning Music Prize, or Sonning Award, which is recognized as

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's highest musical honor, is given annually to an international

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wr ...

. It was first awarded in 1959 to composer

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

. Laureates are now selected by the directors of The Léonie Sonning Music Foundation, which was founded in 1965. The

diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...

is in Danish, and the prize includes EUR 133,000 ( US$ 146,400) and a

monotype Monotyping is a type of printmaking made by drawing or painting on a smooth, non-absorbent surface. The surface, or matrix, was historically a copper etching plate, but in contemporary work it can vary from zinc or glass to acrylic glass. The ...

by the Danish painter

Maja Lisa Engelhardt Maja Lisa Engelhardt (born 1956) is a Danish painter whose works are inspired by the landscapes of north-western Zealand where she was brought up. She now lives in Paris with her husband Peter Brandes who is also a painter. She has decorated seve ...

. Honorees are treated to a concert, typically held in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan a ...

, and are often invited to teach a master class of Danish musicians. The award is not directly related to the Sonning Prize, which is the Danish award presented by a foundation in memory of Sonning's late husband, .

Laureates

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leonie Sonning Music Prize International music awards Danish music awards Awards established in 1959 1959 establishments in Denmark