Award Ceremony
The first award ceremony of the Birgit Nilsson Prize took place at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm on 13 October 2009. On the very stage where Birgit Nilsson made her debut, King Carl Gustaf of Sweden presented the Prize personally to star tenor, conductor and opera house director Plácido Domingo. The musical programme starred the Swedish Soprano Nina Stemme and the German conductor Gregor Bühl. "The Prize money will greatly benefit my annual competition Operalia," said the recipient Plácido Domingo. In an emotional speech, he further said it was "unbelievable" to be standing on the stage where Nilsson had performed so many times, calling her "one of the greatest artists, if not the greatest."
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