PLACIDO DOMINGO - DOMINGO WINS AWARD AND $1 MILLION PRIZE

DOMINGO WINS AWARD AND $1 MILLION PRIZE

Opera star PLACIDO DOMINGO has become the first recipient of the Birgit Nilsson Award, scooping the $1 million (£666,000) prize fund.
The tenor was awarded the honour by Sweden's King Carl XVI Gustaf at a formal ceremony at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm on Tuesday (13Oct09).
In his emotional acceptance speech, Domingo paid tribute to late Swedish opera star Nilsson, calling her one "of the greatest artists, if not the greatest".
He added, "This is comparable to the Nobel Prize in music."
The soprano selected Domingo to be the inaugural honouree nearly ten years ago, but wanted her pick to be kept secret until after her death.
She passed away on Christmas Day (25Dec) in 2005.
Domingo announced that he will use the prize money for his opera competition, Operalia.