Domingo received the Prize from H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf at a gala event at the Royal Swedish Opera in October 13, 2009. Visibly moved, he made an emotional speech and announced that he would invest the Prize money into supporting Operalia, the young artists competition he founded in 1993.
The award ceremony was accompanied by a performance of Wagner’s Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde sung by Nina Stemme.
Comments from the recipient
“I decided to use this generous award to further my Operalia competition, because I believe very strongly that it is the responsibility of singers who are having or have had good careers to help talented young singers develop their own talent and lives in opera. If I can help opera to survive and at the same time help young singers to reach their goals, this gives me great satisfaction. And I feel that by using the wonderful award in this way, I am also honouring the memory of Birgit Nilsson, one of the most magnificent opera singers of all time.”