Nordic Council Music Prize 2021 to Eivør Pálsdóttir

Faroese musician Eivør Pálsdóttir has been awarded the Nordic Council Music Prize for 2021. On March 19, she is ready for a concert in Kilden.

Eivør Pálsdóttir was presented with the award by conductor and composer Phillip Faber during the live award ceremony at Skuespilhuset in Copenhagen on Tuesday evening. Every two years, the music prize is awarded to a work by a living composer, and every two years, like this year, it is awarded to an ensemble or an artist.

The jury placed extra emphasis on her tireless work that has put the Faroe Islands in the spotlight in recent years, and the fact that she continues to make use of her musical heritage and her native language.

Exclusive concert

Eivør goes on tour in the USA in January, before returning to Europe in March. The concert in Kilden is the only one in Norway apart from a concert at Rockefeller in Oslo. Daniel Stamnes of Kilden Kultur is delighted to be able to present an exclusive concert for the audience in southern Norway:

- "This is one of the concerts that has been postponed, but the great thing about Eivør is that her reputation grows every single month. So we're getting a visit from an even better-known artist in March than we would have done with the original booking," he says cheerfully.

- Full-fledged artist

The jury of the Nordic Council Music Prize sums up the career of the artist, who will be in Kristiansand on March 19, as follows:

"Eivør has forged a unique career for herself ever since she entered the music scene in her native Faroe Islands as an almost fully-fledged artist. A naturally gifted musician with a beautiful singing voice, impressive guitar skills and an all-encompassing stage presence, she has charmed music lovers around the world. She released her first self-titled album in 2000, a folk/jazz-influenced affair, but has tackled a wide range of styles since then; she's dabbled in noise rock, experimental music, classical and pure pop diva material."

Photo: Magnus Fröderberg/norden.org
Text: Kjetil Nordhus