Jakob Kullberg (b. 1976) is renowned in Denmark and internationally for his performances and premieres of modern cello concertos and chamber music.
He is acclaimed for his warm, beautiful sound, his wide range of expression and his characteristically exploratory approach to the music – an approach borne by great empathy, intuition and intelligence.
Recent collaborations have resulted in the premiere performance of Kasper Rofelt’s Cello Concerto Night Phase in 2018 and Niels Rønsholdt’s Country with Orkiestra Muzyki Nowej (Katowice) 2019 and 2020, in which the cello soloist is heard as both a singing and improvising performer. Country will be released on CD in 2021.
The adjudication committee describes Jakob Kullberg as a unique musician who, with curiosity and courage, is constantly exploring and pushing the boundaries in relation to the instrument, as well as in relation to himself and the composer/performer roles. He also likes to cross over between genres in collaborations with, for example, experimental improvisational music or song forms.
In Kullberg’s own words: "It’s about freedom and curiosity, and about throwing yourself into something."
Theatre of Voices (TOV) is considered to be one of the world’s leading vocal ensembles, with extensive international involvement. TOV are known for their formidable artistic and technical prowess, expressed through an original repertoire that focuses on both early polyphony and contemporary music. TOV was founded in 1990 by Paul Hillier, and has performed works by composers such as Stockhausen, Berio, Pärt, Reich, Bent Sørensen and David Lang.
Edition·S is the publisher of the choir catalogue Theatre of Voices Edition founded by and under the artistic leadership of Paul Hillier, who says: "Theatre of Voices Edition presents a very personal selection, but one rooted in the direct experience of knowing the composers and performing the music."
After 30 years of ground-breaking work, the ensemble continues to seek new adventurous challenges and engage in remarkable new collaborations. In 2018, Theatre of Voices premiered the concert installation enTmenschT created by Line Tjørnhøj.
The adjudication committee for the Nordic Council Music Prize writes: "The four voices in TOV’s core group blend together in an exemplary manner, and as a listener you instinctively sense that what you are experiencing is a single large, unique sound, consisting of four human voices that are constantly finding and challenging each other. This quality can also be heard when the ensemble is expanded by one or more voices. It is a sound that vibrates with and against itself, creating a special physical and emotional link with us listeners, as only human voices can."
The Nordic Council Music Price
The winner of the Nordic Council Music Prize 2021 will be announced together with the winners of the other Nordic Council prizes on 2 November in Copenhagen during the Session of the Nordic Council. The winner will receive the Northern Lights statuette and DKK 300,000.
See the full list of nominees and read more >>