Canadian soprano, conductor Barbara Hannigan among recipients of Polar Prize

Soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan of Nova Scotia was named one of three recipients of music’s Polar Prize on Tuesday, along with Herbie Hancock and Queen.

The committee for the Sweden-based award cited Hannigan’s ability to push boundaries and broaden listeners’ horizons through her artistic choices.

“Her exceptional musicality and courage make her one of the world’s foremost interpreters of contemporary classical music,” the Polar Prize said.

Hannigan’s unique stature as a singer and conductor was a process that began about 15 years ago.

“I didn’t set out to have a career change and be a conductor. I simply agreed to a couple of gigs in 2011 to test the waters as to whether this was something I wanted to do,” she told CBC’s Q in 2019.

The Polar Prize was founded in 1989 by Stig Anderson, the late publisher and manager of the Swedish band ABBA. Previous winners have spanned musical genres and have included Paul McCartney, Metallica, Yo-Yo Ma and Ravi Shankar.

WATCH l Hannigan speaks to CBC’s Q in 2019: 

Music Grammy, Juno winner

Hannigan, 53, joins the likes of Cecilia Bartoli and Renée Fleming among prominent vocalists who have won the prize, and becomes just the second Canadian recognized as a Polar laureate, following Joni Mitchell in 1996.

Hannigan told Q in 2019 that Mitchell’s versatility was an inspiration to her, praising the way the singer-songwriter “used her voice, however she wanted and needed to use it, like she wasn’t attached to a particular sound.”

It was the latest accolade for Hannigan, who was born in Waverley, N.S., and studied music at the University of Toronto before embarking on a career that has seen her collaborate with orchestras around the world and appear onscreen in Zorn III, a documentary film about the collaboration between avant-garde composer John Zorn, British pianist Steve Gosling and Harrington.

Her 2018 album Crazy Girl Crazy earned a Grammy in 2018 for best solo classical album. Both that release and 2019’s Vienna: Fin de Siècle, performed with conductor Reinbert de Leeuw, were Juno award winners in the classical album category.

LISTEN | Hannigan calls Polar Prize win ‘mind-boggling’: 

Prior to that, in 2016, she was made a member of the Order of Canada.

On her Facebook page, Hannigan thanked commenters congratulating her on the win and said she looked forward to attending the ceremony, which is set to take place in Stockholm on May 27.

The Polar Prize committee receives nominations from the public as well as from the International Music Council, a UNESCO-founded non-governmental organization. According to music trade publication Billboard, the prize money for the laureates amounts to one million Swedish krona ($141,650 Cdn).

Queen was cited for its “distinctive and instantly recognizable sound that no one else can emulate.” The group known for hits such as We Are the Champions, Bohemian Rhapsody and We Will Rock You were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, a decade after the death of lead singer Freddie Mercury at the age of 45.

“We are highly and deeply honoured to be given the Polar Music Prize this year,” the band said in a statement. The surviving members are guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and bass player John Deacon.

The committee recognized Herbie Hancock, 84, as a “jazz scientist” who has not just inspired artists in that genre but as an artist who “influenced the development of R&B, funk and hip-hop.” Hancock was won 14 Grammy awards and an Academy award in a career that began in the early 1960s and included a yearslong turn that decade with the Miles Davis Quintet.