RECIPIENTS OF Léonie Sonning'S MUSIC PRIZE

Léonie Sonning’s Music Prize is one of the world’s leading classical music prizes, which has been given to an internationally recognised composer, musician, conductor or singer within classical music since 1959. The prize money for the award is 1.000.000 Danish Kroner (150.000 USD).

Kirill Petrenko

Conductor Kirill Petrenko received the Leonie Sonning Music Prize 2026 at a grand tribute held at the DR Concert Hall on 13 June 2026. Making his debut with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Petrenko conducted a magnificent programme of works by Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Strauss, culminating in the celebrated 'Also sprach Zarathustra'.
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2026

Danish String Quartet

The Danish String Quartet became the first ensemble ever to receive Denmark’s most prestigious music award, the Léonie Sonning Music Prize 2025, at a grand tribute held at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, on 5 June 2025.
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2025

All recipients

  • All
  • Composers.
  • Conductors.
  • Instrumentalists.
  • Singers.
2026

Kirill Petrenko

2025

The Danish String Quartet

2024

Emmanuel Pahud

2023

Evelyn Glennie

2022

Pierre-Laurent Aimard

2021

Unsuk Chin

2020

Barbara Hannigan

2019

Hans Abrahamsen

2018

Mariss Jansons

2017

Leonidas Kavakos

2016

Herbert Blomstedt

2015

Thomas Adès

2014

Martin Fröst

2013

Simon Rattle

2012

Jordi Savall

© Maarik Kytöharju
2011

Kaija Saariaho

2010

Cecilia Bartoli

2009

Daniel Barenboim

2008

Arvo Pärt

2007

Lars Ulrik Mortensen

2006

Yo-Yo Ma

2005

John Eliot Gardiner

2004

Keith Jarrett

2003

György Kurtág

2002

Alfred Brendel

2001

Anne-Sophie Mutter

2000

Michala Petri

1999

Sofia Gubaidulina

1998

Hildegard Behrens

1997

András Schiff

1996

Per Nørgård

1995

Yuri Bashmet

1994

Krystian Zimerman

1993

Nikolaus Harnoncourt

1992

Sir Georg Solti

1991

Eric Ericson

1990

György Ligeti

1989

Gidon Kremer

1988

Peter Schreier

1987

Heinz Holliger

1986

Svjatoslav Richter

1985

Pierre Boulez

1984

Miles Davis

1983

Rafael Kubelík

1982

Isaac Stern

1981

Mstislav Rostropovitj

1980

Marie-Claire Alain

1979

Dame Janet Baker

1978

Jean-Pierre Rampal

1977

Olivier Messiaen

1976

Mogens Wöldike

1975

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

1974

Andrés Segovia

1973

Dmitrij Sjostakovitj

1972

Yehudi Menuhin

1971

Arthur Rubinstein

1970

Sergiu Celibidache

1969

Boris Christoff

1968

Benjamin Britten

1967

Witold Lutoslawski

1966

Birgit Nilsson

1965

Leonard Bernstein

1959

Igor Stravinsky

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