Gabriel shares Polar Music Prize

Gabriel was praised for his 'ground-breaking' artistry

Singer Peter Gabriel and Venezuelan composer Jose Antonio Abreu have won this year's Polar Music Prize.

The pair will each receive one million kronor (£84,000) from the Royal Swedish Academy of Music.

They will both be presented with their awards by King Carl XVI Gustaf at a gala ceremony at the Stockholm Concert Hall on 31 August.

The Polar Music Prize is Sweden's biggest music award which is split between pop and classical musicians.

The prize committee praised the former Genesis singer for his "ground-breaking, outward-looking and boundary-busting artistry".

It added the star had "not only had a significant influence on the development of popular music - he has redefined the very concept".

Abreu created the music network El Sistema in Venezuela

Abreu, who founded a network offering music classes and workshops to young people, was praised for his work which "shows us what is possible when music is made the common ground and thereby part of people's everyday lives".

The Polar Music Prize was founded by Stig Anderson, the manager of Swedish pop group ABBA, in 1989.

Last year's award was shared by British rock group Pink Floyd and US soprano Renee Fleming.

Other artists to be awarded the prize include Sir Paul McCartney, Dizzy Gillespie, Sir Elton John, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, Ravi Shankar and Led Zeppelin.

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