The nominations are:

DENMARK

Theatre of Voices, vocal ensemble
Grammy winner Theatre of Voices is one of the most prominent vocal ensembles in Europe. TOV present a bold and original repertoire with a tremendously high cultural and technical strength. The current repertoire spans from the earliest polyphonic music to today's great Danish and foreign composers; Stockhausen, Berio, Pärt, Reich, Bent Sørensen and Gudmundsen-Holmgreen. www.theatreofvoices.com

Efterklang, ensemble
This progressive, ambitious and imaginative ensemble - described as “Denmark's experimental alternative pop pioneers” by the prestigious British label 4AD - is praised by the both the Danish and the international media. In the 12 years the band has existed it has time after time redeemed major projects, both in recordings and performances. www.efterklang.net

FINLAND

Pekka Kuusisto, violin
Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto is internationally renowned both as soloist and director and is recognised for his fresh approach to the repertoire. Pekka is also a strong advocate of new music. He regularly collaborates with contemporary composers and in the 2012/13 season, will perform the world premiere of Sebastian Fagerlund’s Violin Concerto, written for him and commissioned by the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra.

http://www.harrisonparrott.com/artist/profile/pekka-kuusisto

Kimmo Pohjonen, accordion
Kimmo Pohjonen is regarded as one of the world's most adventurous accordion players.   An accordionist and composer of exceptional ability and imagination, Kimmo’s musical history goes back more than 20 years in rock, folk, avant-garde, improvisation, classical, dance and theatre music projects. In 1996 he embarked on a solo career with his solo 5-row accordion project, featuring extreme and original compositions, live loops and effects, a dynamic and animated stage performance, orchestrated lights and surround sound.

www.kimmopohjonen.com

THE FAROE ISLANDS

Eivør Pálsdóttir, vocal
Eivør is a singer-songwriter who grew up in the little village Gøta.   Eivør has a very distinct voice and while her roots are in traditional Faroese ballads, she has an interest in a wide range of music genres, from rock, jazz, folk, pop, to European classical music. At the age of 16, she left school in order to dedicate all of her time to what she loved doing: singing and writing music. 11 years, eight solo albums and numerous awards later, she has become one of the brightest stars on the North Atlantic horizon. What makes her so special is not just her breath-taking voice, but the fact that her artistic abilities are expressed on canvas, in storytelling, poetry and composition. www.eivor.com

ICELAND

Nordic Affect, chamber ensemble
The chamber ensemble Nordic Affect was formed in 2005 to promote music from the 17th and 18th centuries as well as the performance of contemporary music. The musicians share the passion for viewing familiar musical forms from a different perspective as well as venturing into new terrain. Their performances in Iceland and on the Continent have ranged from the dance music of the 17th century to the exciting electronic compositions of today and have been received with great critical acclaim. www.nordicaffect.com

Mezzoforte, fusion band
Their success was a complete surprise at the time. In 1983, when the song Garden Party went round the world, the four boys from Iceland had just come of age. Since then, MEZZOFORTE has been considered Europe’s most important fusion band. In 2012, the band celebrates its 35th anniversary and is still sparking all over the place. The new 'Islands' album documents the band's process of maturing musically and adds another gem to its discography. www.mezzoforte.com

NORWAY

Håkon Austbø, piano
Håkon Austbø has shaped contemporary understanding of piano music from the 20th century. For almost 50 years he has been an influential international interpreter of composers such as Skrjabin, Messiaen and Debussy. He worked directly with Messiaen, has performed for the first time works by a number of living composers, played under conductors such as Haitink, Tabacknik, Eötvös and Jansons, and with ensembles such as Nieuw Ensemble, the Concertgebouw and the Ensemble InterContemporain. www.austbo.info

Maja Ratkje, vocal
Maja S.K. Ratkje's music is met with credibility across established traditions, both by other artists and critics. To work live with her own voice is central to Ratkje's artistic work, whether she plays solo with electronics or records her voice in a composition as an improvisational vocalist. Ratkje made her mark internationally early on both as a performer and as a composer. www.ratkje.com

SWEDEN

Trio ZPR, string trio
The string trio of Cecilia Zilliacus (violin), Johanna Persson (viola) and Kati Raitinen (cello) is Sweden's brightest and most creative chamber ensemble. Since it was founded in 1999, ZPR has shown unique perseverance and harmony within this genre. Besides the genre's obvious repertoire, ZPR has continuously expanded it with composition commissions and co-operation with often unexpected guest artists. www.zpr.se

The Knife, electronic duo
The Knife is the artistic alias of the Dreijer siblings who have played together since 1999. Electronica, which moves freely between vintage-synthpop and forward-looking electronic music, between art music and video art in an ever elusive masque. A razor-sharp artistic project which they performed live on stage for the first time in 2006 after their major breakthrough with the album Silent Shout; rewarded with six (!) Swedish Grammies. www.theknife.net

ÅLAND

Vladimir Shafranov, piano
Born in St. Petersburg 1948. He began playing the piano at 5 years old, studied, amongst others, at the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory. His album debut was in 1971, and the CD sold millions. Worked in Finland 1974-83, where he taught, amongst others things, at the Sibelius Academy. He moved to New York in 1983, where he worked as a freelance pianist with New York's leading jazz musicians, including Dizzy Gillespie, Johnny Griffin, and Benny Golson.

You can read more about the nominations here www.musikpris.org/

The winner of the Nordic Council Music Prize 2013 will be announced on 30 October in Oslo, where the prize will be awarded during the Nordic Council Session.

Louise Hagemann
Phone +45 21 71 71 41
Email loha@norden.org