Jeppe Ernst is nominated with the following statement from the jury:
"Few composers possess such a clear and personal artistic expression as Jeppe Ernst. Experiencing his music is an invitation into a concentrated space in which the human being stands at the centre. The musicians engage in minimalist, co-ordinated movements within a refined musical interplay. Everything is restrained, and none of the performers overplay their role.
The material is always tightly controlled. There is no pandering to the audience. There is a solitude in Jeppe’s music that strikes the listener on a deeply existential level. It can be traced in the objectivity that characterises the interaction between the musicians.
Jeppe is one of Denmark’s most compelling composers and one of the few who can genuinely make a difference in a hopeless world. And yes – incidentally – there is, usually, no sound in his music."
The winner of the 2026 Nordic Council Music Prize will be announced on 20 October. During the Session of the Nordic Council in Helsinki, which takes place in the last week of October, the winner will receive the “Nordlys” prize statuette at a special award ceremony. The prize is worth DKK 300,000.
Read more about the Nordic Council Music Prize and all 13 nominees here.
Jeppe Ernst’s piece Solo (Cantus II) is part of the cycle Cantus, which consists of eleven pieces divided into three volumes. All the pieces are written for touch and facial muscles, and they explore human communication, where touch and facial muscles – in a kind of call and response – represent the acting (inquiring) and reacting (responding) elements, respectively. Solo (Cantus II) is, as the title suggests, the second piece in the collection, and can be said to take its starting point in the idea of the face as a mirror.
Solo (Cantus II) was premiered by the percussion duo Sistro Duo in June 2025. Find the score for Solo (Cantus II) here.
Upcoming performances
The near future brings a great opportunity to experience another of Jeppe Ernst's pieces in the same series performed live. On 29 May, Cph Stage will present three performances by SCENATET of Cantus (Vol. III) at 14:00, 16:00 and 18:00.