Pink Floyd, Renee Fleming receive 2008 Polar Prize

STOCKHOLM, Sweden – American soprano Renee Fleming and Pink Floyd band members Nick Mason and Roger Waters have received this year’s Swedish Polar Music Prize.

The award committee says Fleming won for her unparalleled voice and Pink Floyd for its contribution to the development of popular culture.

Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf handed the prizes to the winners at a ceremony in the Stockholm Concert Hall on Tuesday. The British rock legends and the opera star were given standing ovations when they arrived to receive the awards, each worth $157,700.

The Polar prize is Sweden’s biggest music award and is usually split between pop artists and classical musicians. The 2007 prize went to jazz saxophonist Sonny Rollins and composer Steve Reich.