Léonie Sonning Music Prize 2026 goes to conductor Kirill Petrenko
Press release · August 2025
Léonie Sonning Music Prize 2026 goes to conductor Kirill Petrenko
Next year, Kirill Petrenko will receive the historic honor and the 1 million DKK that accompany the Léonie Sonning Music Prize 2026. Since 2019, the Russian conductor has been chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, and he is world-renowned for his intense energy and sublime interpretations. The award ceremony will take place at a grand gala concert at DR Koncerthuset on June 13, 2026, where Petrenko and the DR Symphony Orchestra will perform music by Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann, and Richard Strauss.
Next year’s recipient of Denmark’s largest music prize can hereby be revealed: The Léonie Sonning Music Prize 2026 will go to the charismatic Russian conductor Kirill Petrenko, who has been chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic since 2019.
From 1997 to 2018, Kirill Petrenko primarily conducted opera at a number of the world’s leading opera houses. He began his career at the Vienna Volksoper 1997, and just two years later was appointed Music Director of the Theater Meiningen. There, his landmark four-day presentation of Wagner’s Ring cycle earned him international acclaim.
From 2002 to 2007 Kirill Petrenko served as Music Director of the Komische Oper Berlin, and from 2013 to 2020 he held the prestigious position of General Music Director at the Bavarian State Opera, where his acclaimed productions attracted worldwide recognition. Among Kirill Petrenkos greatest artistic achievements as opera conductor is the performance of Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelung at the Bayreuth Festival in 2013.
The Léonie Sonning Music Prize was first awarded in 1959, and Petrenko joins a roster of recipients that includes Leonard Bernstein, Igor Stravinsky, and Miles Davis – as well as last year’s recipient, the Danish String Quartet.
The award is accompanied by no less than 1 million DKK (approx. €134,000), and the ceremony will take place at a grand gala concert at DR Koncerthuset on June 13, 2026. The event will mark Petrenko’s first collaboration with the DR Symphony Orchestra – as well as a rare chance to experience the sought-after conductor on Danish soil.
The concert will only be Petrenko’s second performance in Denmark. The first was in 2013, when he conducted Wagner’s The Valkyrie at an exuberantly, memorable concert with the Royal Danish Orchestra.
Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Strauss
Careful selections have been made for the gala concert. In Felix Mendelssohn’s overture The Hebrides, the orchestra and Petrenko enter a Nordic-tinged world steeped in mystery.
This is followed by Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto, which is brimming with high-voltage German Romanticism. Audiences can also look forward to experiencing Russian pianist Polina Osetinskaya as the evening’s soloist.
The concert concludes with a bang in the form of Richard Strauss’ tone poem Also sprach Zarathustra, in which the symphony orchestra is unleashed in full force, followed by the award ceremony.
New York Times: “Petrenko is a miracle”
Petrenko is one of the most exclusive artists in classical music. He rarely gives interviews and has worked with only a select few orchestras throughout his career.
Over the years, he has become world-renowned for his intense energy and sublime interpretations. The New York Times has called him “a miracle”, while The Guardian and Financial Times describe him as “dazzling” and “electrifying”, respectively.
As chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, he has developed a unique musical fellowship, and each concert becomes an event where anything can happen.
The symphony orchestra is a highly sensitive organism
“At the Léonie Sonning Music Foundation, we are delighted and proud to have the opportunity to honor Kirill Petrenko in Denmark with a concert featuring his symphonic core repertoire,” says Esben Tange, chairman of the foundation’s board.
He explains what makes Petrenko such a truly exceptional conductor:
“Petrenko treats a symphony orchestra as a highly sensitive organism made up of musical individuals, where each musician plays a vital role. He approaches the role of conductor with humility, seeing himself as someone who channels musical energy – and as a communicator of music with a universal human message. With his love for the symphony orchestra and its musicians, as well as his deep roots in the classical tradition, Kirill Petrenko is a remarkable modern conductor.”
The prize recipient himself states:
“Just as I was completely surprised to receive this prestigious award, I was equally honored when I learned about it. Seeing the list of the greatest musicians of past decades with whom I have been placed—this is truly humbling. I thank the Léonie Sonning Music Foundation for this recognition, and I look forward to performing next June in Copenhagen together with the Danish National Symphony Orchestra on the occasion of the award ceremony.”
Read more about previous recipients of the Léonie Sonning Music Prize, talent prizes, and more at www.sonningmusik.dk.
For additional information:
Kristina Sindberg · kristina@sindbergkommunikation.dk · (+45) 24 86 01 84
Esben Tange, chairman of the board, the Léonie Sonnings Music Foundation · et@sonningmusik.dk