© Fiona Aagaard

»Musik for mig er en måde at være i verden på. Jeg kan ikke leve uden musik, for den er en iltmaske. Jeg finder altid undskyldninger for, hvordan jeg kan inkorporere musikken i min billedkunst. Nogle af de største kunstneriske oplevelser i mit liv har været at lytte til musikalbum, og jeg har en ordentlig stak album, som jeg er dybt forbundet med og konstant genbesøger. Musik er noget af det allermest overvældende, brutaleste, smukkeste og sjoveste, og det forbinder mig til noget spirituelt og dybt. Min dårligste vane er at cykle rundt med høj musik i ørerne, men jeg har vurderet fordelene og ulemperne og kommet frem til, at musikken må være døden værd.« 

Multikunstneren Kim Richard Adler Mejdahl er uddannet fra Det Kgl. Danske Kunstakademi og har udstillet på bl.a. Kunsthal Charlottenborg, Overgaden og Rønnebæksholm samt internationalt på filmfestivaler i bl.a. Tyskland, Frankrig, Island og Sydkorea. Under aliasset Kim Kim har Mejdahl udgivet flere album og blandt andet spillet på Roskilde Festival. Han er blandt mange kendt for sin medvirken i anden sæson af Kunstnerkolonien på DR, hvor han kørte ind i folks stuer med partybus og godt humør. Mejdahls arbejde er repræsenteret i Statens Museum for Kunsts samling. For tiden er han aktuel med udstillingen Glory på KØN – Gender Museum Denmark samt DR-serien Provinsbøssernes drøm sammen med forfatteren Glenn Bech. Tidligere på året medvirkede han i forestillingen Friskabte, som er en musikalsk fortolkning af Glenn Bechs roman Farskibet med musikeren Henriette Sennenvaldt og billedkunstneren Michael Kvium.

© Paw Ager

»For me, music is about curiosity and surprises – yet it’s also something in which you can feel right at home. Music resides within us all, in a physical way that sets it apart from any other art form. To me, music is something greater than the individual – something that will always outlive the individual. The good stuff, in other words ;) « 

Kaspar Kaae is an award-winning film composer, music producer, and songwriter, known for his work with bands such as CODY and Bug Chaser. He holds a Master’s degree in film composition from SDMK.  He has previously been a guitarist in a number of bands on the Danish indie scene, such as CODY, Broken Twin, and Bug Chaser. The latter is releasing the album My First Crippled Love in November. He was born in 1983 on Bornholm, but has lived in Copenhagen and Berlin throughout his adult life.

© PR

»Music is like a black hole that sucks you in and shoots you out on the other side of the universe.«

Francesco Rista is a guitarist working across classical and electric guitar. His recordings have been reviewed by international music magazines and broadcast on BBC and RAI Radio 3. After studying at the Royal Danish Academy of Music and Lund University, he focused on studio recordings, exploring guitar repertoire from the Baroque and Romantic periods to contemporary music, as well as the instrument’s varied tonal possibilities. Rista is currently based in Iceland, where he teaches guitar, composes music, and collaborates with contemporary composers.

 

© Villads Hoffmann
© Villads Hoffmann

Percussionist and composer David Hildebrandt is honoured for his virtuosic work with new music and his efforts to push the boundaries of what rhythm can be.

David Hildebrandt is among the recipients of this year’s honorary awards from the Wilhelm Hansen Foundation. He receives DKK 200,000 in recognition of his uncompromising work with new music and multi-percussion, as well as his ability to challenge conventional ideas about rhythm.

© Thor Brødreskift
© Thor Brødreskift
The 2026 Nordic Council Music Prize goes to Norwegian composers Kristine Tjøgersen and Benedicte Maurseth for Elja, a suite for the Kronos Quartet and Hardanger fiddle.
 
Rationale
© Carsten Seidel

»Who ever said that music is ‘just’ music? To me, it is anything but that: an urge to understand and explain it all. A piece of jewelry I wear every single day. A joy that can, at times, run deep. An ever-changing imprint of millions of stitches in my heart. A longing to disappear.«

Henrik Marstal is a musician, author, and music researcher. He holds a PhD in musicology, is a senior lecturer at the Rhythmic Music Conservatory, and frequently appears in the media as an expert source on music. His areas of interest include contemporary music, such as electronic music. This winter, he will release both a new album with the pop group ibens and a book about Else Marie Pade, published by the British publishing house Bloomsbury.