Just in: Stockholm decides that Sting is classical

When they get it wrong up north, they go right off the radar.

First the Nobel Prize for Literature is awarded to a songwriter, Bob Dylan.

Today, the Polar Music Prize was given to the British rock musician Sting and the American jazz musician Wayne Shorter.

The rules of the million-crown ($120,000) prize, founded by Abba’s Stig Anderson in 1989, is that one half goes to a contemporary musician the other to a classical personality. Last year’s winners were Max Martin and Cecilia Bartoli.

This year, Sting wins the classical slot. ‘As a composer, Sting has combined classic pop with virtuoso musicianship and an openness to all genres and sounds from around the world,’ said the prize committee.

Off the radar.

Sting, with a classical acquaintance