Mads Emil Dreyer is nominated for his string quartet Doldrums, inertia
With Doldrums, inertia, Mads Emil Dreyer returns, for the first time in many years, to a purely acoustic expression. The work is a string quartet in four short, concentrated movements, each unfolding its own logic around the idea of movement without change.
Doldrums, inertia was premiered by the award-winning American JACK Quartet on 24 September 2025 in Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin.
The music is driven by a particular sense of inertia—it moves continuously, yet without altering its course. A distinctive presence emerges within the work, where the fragile and the quiet nevertheless fill the space and envelop the audience. The result is an intense, insistent, and deeply compelling piece that captures the listener through its understated power.
Mette Nielsen is nominated for her choral work Skræl og Kød
Mette Nielsen’s Skræl og kød (Peel and Flesh) is a work that, with understated humor and great musicality, opens our senses to a world we thought we knew. With its focus on subtle shifts in timbre—the “imperfect unison”—she creates a musical space where friction, microtones, and poetry converge.
The work engages with texts from Shëkufe Tadayoni Heiberg’s poetry collection Frugt og grønne sager with both curiosity and precision, allowing the rhythms and repetitions of text to unfold within the music. A playful and whimsical universe emerges, where the seeds of the fig, the clicking of peas, and the sourness of lemon are brought to life anew.
Skræl og kød was premiered by the award-winning, Danish based vocal ensemble Ars Nova Copenhagen on 25 September 2025 in Billund Church.
It is an original, imaginative, and sonically refined work that demonstrates how even the smallest shifts can open up entire worlds.
Dreamers' Circus are nominated for their album Handed On
The album Handed On was released in 2025 and features recordings of 13 pieces that are all published in the sheet music collection also titled Handed On. Handed On - the book - contains 58 melodies divided into four levels, bronze, silver, gold and master, and can be played by anyone from beginners to professionals.
Handed On was created out of a desire to pass on the magic of the new Nordic folk music. The release contributes to renewing folk music, creating new traditions, and ensuring that the music continues to live on with new generations.
Carl Prisen was founded by Musikforlæggerne in 2013. Every year, 15 prizes are awarded to composers and songwriters across musical genres. Carl Prisen 2026 is celebrated on 15 April where the winners in all categories will be announced.