IMC-UNESCO International Music Prize

The International Music Council awarded this  prestigious prize from 1975 until 2005, as of 1978 in cooperation with UNESCO. The Prize was given to musicians or musical institutions whose activity has contributed to the enrichment and development of music. It aimed to serve peace, understanding between peoples and international cooperation as well as other purposes proclaimed by the United Nations Charter and UNESCO's constitution.

Further to a change in UNESCO's policy with regard to prizes and awards in connection with UNESCO, the Executive Boards of both IMC and UNESCO decided to discontinue the prize in its current form. IMC is currently exploring alternatives.

Some key information about the IMC - UNESCO International Music Prize:

The Prize was open in the following 5 categories:

1. Composition: awarded to composers for their overall creative output
2. Performance: awarded to individuals and ensembles in the field of popular, traditional, "classical" music or jazz, for their overall concert activities
3. Musicology/music journalism: awarded to musicologists and music critics for the body of their research or criticism
4. Music pedagogy; awarded to members of the teaching profession for their overall educational output

The Prize could also be awarded to public figures who have played a major role locally or internationally in more than one field of music, and to musical institutions for their activities in the service of music.

Nominations had to be submitted and endorsed by IMC members, UNESCO Permanent Delegations and UNESCO National Commissions; self-nomination was not possible. Every member, delegation and commission could propose 1 candidate per call for nominations.
The jury consisted of at least 5 members and was appointed by the Director-General of UNESCO on the recommendation of the IMC. The Director-General could designate a member of the Organisation's staff to sit on the jury.

There were usually 2 laureates, selected by the Director-General of UNESCO on recommendation of the jury. The Prize was awarded annually by the Director-General of UNESCO - or his representative - , the President of IMC, and the Lord Mayor of the City of Aachen to an individual or an institution.
Past laureates (1975 - 2004)

The Prize consisted of a diploma, a UNESCO Medal, and a monetary reward of 2500 EUR

International Music Day

The IMD was initiated in 1975 by Lord Yehudi Menuhin to encourage:

• the promotion of our musical art among all sections of society
• the application of the UNESCO ideals of peace and friendship between peoples, of the evolution of their cultures, of the exchange of experience and of the mutual appreciation of their aesthetic values
• the promotion of the activities of IMC, its international member organizations and national committees, as well as its programme policy in general.

Letter to all IMC members dated November 30, 1974
and signed by Yehudi Menuhin and Boris Yarustowski:

Dear Sir,

The first International Music Day, organised by the International Music Council, will be held on the 1st of October, 1975, in accordance with the resolution taken at the 15th General Assembly in Lausanne in 1973.

The intention of this day is to encourage:

• the promotion of our musical art among all sections of society;
• the application of the UNESCO ideals of peace and friendship between peoples, of the evolution of their cultures, of the exchange of experience and of the mutual appreciation of their aesthetic values;
• the promotion of the activities of the International Music Council, its international member organizations end national committees, as well as its programme policy in general.
   

In order to put these intentions into practice, our international organizations and national committees are invited to consider the following plan of action:

 Music Events:

• invite leading composers, interpreters and musicologists to give lectures, and to speak of the importance of music, of its place in modern life, of the ideals of UNESCO and of the activities of the IMC
• organize meetings of artists, competitions and musical quizzes;
• organize exhibitions of musical instruments, records, posters, paintings, sculptures, caricatures, or photographs on musical themes;
• invite delegations of musicians of other national committees to participate in thiS International Music Day, as well as prize winners of the IMO Rostrums, arid composers arid interpreters from different continents;
• ask major interpreters in your country to give concerts on International Music Day for which they would agree to contribute either all, or part of the proceeds to the Musicians' International Mutual Aid Fund.

 Radio and television programmes

• broadcast concerts, as well as talks and debates with the participation of major personalities who are also music lovers a painters, writers, and even politicians On this International Music Day, leading members of the IMC will broadcast special messages.

Press and Recordings

• publish articles in the press to draw the public's attention to International Music Day;
• organize the exchange of tapes arid records1 using them for demonstration purposes

The struggle against the pollution of the sound environment

• propose to local authorities that, on this Day, they should order a few minutes of silence in towns; this period of silence would be used for listening to music to be played in public places such as parks arid main squares.

  

In order to realize these activities, it is essential that we mobilize all the means at our disposal: radio and television, concert societies, opera companies, amateur societies; a great many different types of localities should be used to their best advantage: concert halls theatres, cultural centres, universities, churches, schools, factories, as well as in the open air: in parks, gardens, and stadiums.

  

We hope that this first International Music Day will constitute a major achievement among our' activities, and that it will become an annual event for the propagation of greater knowledge of our art, arid for the strengthening of the bonds of peace and friendship between peoples through music.

 Yours faithfully,

Yehudi Menuhin/President

Boris Yarustowski/Vice-President

Prize laureates 1975 - 2005

Composers
Performers
Musicologists
Educators
Institutions

Composers
1975	Dimitri Shostakovich (Russia)
1977	Tikhon Khrennikov (Russia)
1979	Leonard Bernstein (USA) Jan Cikker (Czechoslovakia)
1981	Alberto Ginastera (Argentina)
1985	Oliver Messiaen (France) Witold Lutoslawski (Poland)
1987	Henri Dutilleux (France)
1991	Toru Takemitsu (Japan)
1993	Krzysztof Penderecki (Poland)
1996	György Ligeti (Hungary)
1998	Iannis Xenakis (France)
1999	Emmanuel Nunes (Portugal)
2005	Mikis Theodorakis (Greece)

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Performers
1975	Yehudi Menuhin (USA) Ravi Shankar (India)
1977	Ephraim Amu (Ghana) Benny Goodman (USA) Riad Soumbati (Egypt)
1979	Mohamed Kobanje (Iraq) Sviatoslav Richter (Russia) Bernard Heinze (Australia)
1981	Tariq A. Hakeem (Saudi Arabia) Bartok Quartet (Hungary)
1983	Herbert von Karajan (Austria) Claudio Arrau (Chile)
1987	Daniel Barenboim (Israel)
1989	Munir Bashir (Iraq)
1993	Miriam Makeba (South Africa)
1995	Alicia de Larrocha (Spain) Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (Pakistan)
1996	Mercedes Sosa (Argentina)
1997	Frans Brüggen (Netherlands)
1998	Cesaria Evora (Cabo Verde)
1999	Alim Qasimov (Azerbaijan)
2000	Oscar Peterson (Canada)
2001	Gidon Kremer (Latvia) Oumou Sangaré (Mali)
2002	Maria Joao Pires (Portugal)
2004	Youssou N'Dour (Senegal)

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Musicologists
1977	Luis Heitor Correa de Azevedo (Brazil)
1979	Zofia Lissa (Poland)
1981	Alain Daniélou (France) Kwabena Nketia (Ghana) Trân Van Khê (Vietnam)
1985	Paul Collaer (Belgium)
1991	Jacques Chailley (France)

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Educators
1979	Nadia Boulanger (France)
1994	I Made Bandem (Indonesia)
1997	Frank Callaway (Australia)

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Institutions
1981	Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (Portugal)
1983	Royal Swedish Academy of Music (Sweden)
1989	International Federation of Jeunesses Musicales
1991	Gaudeamus Foundation (Netherlands)
1993	Fundación del estado para la orquesta nacional juvenil de Venezuela European Federation of Young Choirs - Europa Cantat
1994	International Bach Academy Stuttgart (Germany)
1996	Paul Sacher Foundation (Switzerland)
1997	Arab and Mediterranean Music Centre "Ennejma Ezzahra" (Tunisia)
1998	Khongisa Youth Centre for Performing Arts, Music and Theatre (Republic of South Africa) Manuel de Falla Archives Foundation (Spain)
2002	Oman Centre for Traditional Music

 

release IREM 2004 French

COMMUNIQUE DE PRESSE

Résultats de la 10e Tribune internationale de musique électroacoustique

Monada 3 (2003) pour voix, piano et ordinateur du compositeur polonais Cezary Duchnowski (né en 1971) et The End (2004) pour électronique du jeune compositeur slovaque Rudolf Pepucha (né en 1975) sont les oeuvres jugées les plus dignes d'une radiodiffusion mondiale par les producteurs d'émissions radiophoniques et les représentants des fédérations nationales de musique électroacoustique participant à la 10e Tribune internationale de musique électroacoustique, accueillie par la RAI Radio 3 et la Federazione CEMAT à Rome, du 10 au 13 mai 2004.

PL'oeuvre Monada 3 a été sélectionnée comme la plus marquante dans la catégorie "générale" ; elle était présentee par le producteur de la Radio polonaise Marek Zwyrzykowski.

The End a été sélectionnée dans la categorie des "Jeunes compositeurs" ; elle était presentee par Juraj Duris, directeur du Studio de musique électroacoustique de la Radio slovaque.

En plus des deux oeuvres sélectionnées, quatre autres oeuvres - de Benjamin De La Fuente (présenté par INA-GRM, France), João Pedro Oliveira (présenté par la Radio Portugaise), Annette Van De Gorne (présenté par RTBF, Belgique) and Trevor Wishart (présenté par Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg, Allemagne) - ont egalement été recommandées pour radiodiffusion par tous les organismes participants et autres radios interessées ainsi que pour presentatioin en concert.

La Tribune de musique électroacoustique a été initiée en 1984 par la Confédération internationale pour la musique électroacoustique et le Conseil international de la musique. Elle se tient tous les deux ans et est organisée par les deux co-fondateurs avec le concours de la radio et/ou fédération de musique électroacoustique hôtes ainsi qu'avec l'appui des organismes de radiodiffusion participants. A cette 10eme session, un nombre record de 26 reseaux radiophoniques d'Europe et des deux Ameriques, et de 10 fédérations nationales de musique électroacoustique avaient proposé 69 oeuvres. Gianni Trovalusci, représentant le CEMAT, présidait les seances.

La Tribune a pour but de promouvoir la musique électroacoustique à l'échelle internationale et d'encourager les échanges d'oeuvres entre organismes de radiodiffusion, chaque radio s'engageant à diffuser au moins les oeuvres selectionnées et recommandées. Les oeuvres retenues lors de la session précédente (2002) ont reçu plus de 200 diffusions et ont également été présentées en concert.

La RAI et le CEMAT ont environné la tenue de la Tribune de deux concerts de musique électroacoustique italienne.

A l'instar des autres Tribunes radiophoniques du CIM, la Tribune de musique électroacoustique bénéficie de l'appui logistique et promotionnel de l'UER de même que du soutien de l'UNESCO.

Info/Renseignements:
International Music Council / Conseil international de la musique
Silja Fischer
UNESCO House
1 rue Miollis
75732 Paris Cedex 15
Tel: +33 1 45 68 48 50/51
Fax: +33 1 43 06 87 98
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.unesco.org/imc

International Confederation for Electroacoustic Music:
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: +33 2 48 20 41 87

CEMAT:
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Tel: / + 39 06 68 80 92 22

release IREM 2004

RELEASE

Results of the 10th International Rostrum of Electroacoustic Music

The 10th International Rostrum of Electroacoustic Music (IREM) took place in Rome, May 10-13, 2004, hosted by RAI Radio3 and the Italian electroacoustic music federation CEMAT.

The biennial IREM was initiated in 1984 by the International Confederation for Electroacoustic Music (ICEM) and the International Music Council which sign also responsible for its organisation. The Rostrum's purpose is to make known internationally important works of electroacoustic music by fostering the exchange of works between broadcasting organisations. For example, works chosen at the preceding IREM (2002) received more than 200 broadcasts and were also presented in concert.

This year's IREM was chaired by Gianni Trovalusci, representative of CEMAT, and gathered representatives of 26 broadcasting organisations and 10 national federations of electroacoustic music, which presented 69 recordings of works of electroacoustic music. After the listening sessions, the assembly of delegates selected and recommended the most important ones among the works listened to - in the general and "young composers" category ; these and other works will be broadcast after the Rostrum by the participating and other interested radio stations as well as presented in concerts.

In the general category, Monada 3 (2003) for voice, piano and computer by Polish composer Cezary Duchnowski (born 1971) was selected by the delegates as most outstanding; Polish Radio producer Marek Zwyrzykowski had presented it. The monadas represent a series of studies concerned with the search for new music quality using modern means of expression. In his quest for deeper interference in the sound matter, the composer uses the open potential offered by the computer to find a new image of the elementary properties of music, freed of the burden of non-music contents. "Apart from filling out the respective time and space with sound, the instruments themselves can also be "composed", so to speak. Such a situation allows to associating oneself with the essence of music. It allows the shaping of its starting-off point and at the same time its sound, which in itself has an individual character. It is the sound that constitutes the inseparable substance of which music is built; it is - like Leibniz's monada - closed outer space but simultaneously strong enough to create superior beings." (C. D.)

The End (2004) for cello and electronics by the young Slovak composer Rudolf Pepucha (1975) was selected as most worthy for worldwide broadcasting in the "young composers" category; it had been presented by Juraj Duris, Director of the Centre for Electroacoustic and Computer Music at Slovak Radio. After his graduation at Zilina Conservatory, Rudolf Pepucha continues composition studies at the Bratislava Music Academy. His main compositional interest is in electroacoustic music and experimental music drama. The End explores interaction between pitch, timbre and rhythm. Thinking about those three fundamental perceptual poles of music as interlocked and interdependent sources of the musical process was the basic idea at the beginning of composition.

In addition to the selected works, four other works by Benjamin De La Fuente, João Pedro Oliveira, Annette Van De Gorne and Trevor Wishart were recommended for broadcasting by all participants as well as for presentation in concert.

As in the past, the European Broadcasting Union has lent its distribution, promotion and logistic assistance to the IREM. The event also benefitted from UNESCO support. On the occasion of the Rostrum, RAI and CEMAT staged two concerts featuring Italian electroacoustic music.

Works presented at the IREM were previously selected by participating radio producers and/or national federations of ICEM.

Info/Renseignements:
International Music Council / Conseil international de la musique
Silja Fischer
UNESCO House
1 rue Miollis
75732 Paris Cedex 15
Tel: +33 1 45 68 48 50/51
Fax: +33 1 43 06 87 98
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.unesco.org/imc

International Confederation for Electroacoustic Music:
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: +33 2 48 20 41 87

CEMAT:
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: / + 39 06 68 80 92 22

release IMD 2004

PRESS RELEASE

INTERNATIONAL MUSIC DAY CELEBRATION

The International Music Council (IMC) is pleased to announce the programme of the International Music Day celebrations at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on 1 October 2004.

International Music Day (IMD) was initiated in 1975 by Lord Yehudi Menuhin, the then President of IMC. It is intended to highlight the significance of music in everyone's life. The Day is celebrated all over the world by IMC members and all who contribute to the Council's efforts to take initiatives and forge opportunities for people to participate more and more in music and cultural life, and thereby bring about social change.

Under the Patronage of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the programme of International Music Day in Paris this year will also see the launching IMC's new flagship programme "Music@UNESCO", being a series of innovative music and humanities activities for the public at UNESCO Headquarters.

The programme also comprises an exhibition of initiatives and projects of IMC members worldwide and a special jazz concert on the theme of "Jazz Meets the World: A Tribute to Jazz in Education". The 1 October concert in Room I at UNESCO features world-famous Jazz musicians Nathan Davis (Musical Director, saxophone, USA), Jon Faddis (trumpet, USA), Maurice Brown (trumpet, USA), Marc Godfroid (trombone, Belgium), Johnny Griffin (saxophone, USA, France), Makoto Kuriya (piano, Japan), Billy Cobham (drums, Panama), Abraham Laboriel (bass, Mexico), Nelson Veras (guitar, Brazil), David Linx (voice, Belgium). Lifetime Achievement Awards will be presented during the concert to Jazz educationalists Billy Taylor (piano, USA), Johnny Griffin (saxophone, USA), Martial Solal (piano, France) and Michel Sardaby (piano, France). The IMD 2004 celebrations will continue until 2 October at the Maison des Cultures du Monde in Paris with professional workshops and a roundtable of jazz musicians, educators and critics to discuss "Jazz in Paris in the 60s: The Golden Years".

The above events are open free of charge to the general public thanks to the generosity of the University of Pittsburgh, the Ford Foundation, Cultural Engineering LLC, and the Maison des Cultures du Monde.

For information, contact:
International Music Council
UNESCO House
1 rue Miollis
75732 Paris Cedex 15
Tel: +33 1 45 68 48 51
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Website: www.unesco.org/imc

release HHWS

[FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE]
Contact: Nova Smith
Hip Hop World Summit
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.hiphopworldsummit.com
(917) 864-4848

INTERNATIONAL MUSIC COUNCIL PRESENTS:
THE 2004 HIP HOP WORLD SUMMIT IN PARIS, FRANCE

New York, New York: The International Music Council (IMC), in association with UNESCO, The African Marketplace, Inc. and Cultural Engineering, LLC, announces the Hip Hop World Summit (HHWS), to take place on November 12-14, 2004 at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France.
The HHWS, under the patronage of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and funded in part by a generous grant from the Ford Foundation, coincides with and commemorates the 30th anniversary of the Hip Hop movement and offers an opportunity for the world to reflect on its impact while working toward its future development. As such, this year's three day Summit is the first of what will become an annual international exploration and celebration of Hip Hop.
The Summit is intended to recognize and cultivate the significant international presence of Hip Hop on the social, cultural, political, economic and artistic expressions of the global community. From its humble beginnings in the marginalized neighborhoods of the 1970's South Bronx, New York to a current international phenomenon, Hip Hop serves as the medium for varied communities to manifest social change and voice their unique, often underrepresented perspectives.
Through performances, seminars, workshops, films and art the HHWS will highlight the extraordinary impact of Hip Hop on worldwide culture, politics, and economy. The participants are an international assembly of performers, scholars, journalists, music professionals and government officials brought together by the powerful influence of the Hip Hop movement.
Scheduled activities include pre-launch events on November 11, 2004 with Hip Hop Ambassadors and government officials as well as the HHWS Keynote Address on November 12, 2004, which will be delivered by Chuck D , activist, commentator and founding member of the seminal Hip Hop group Public Enemy. Additional activities include workshops and panels highlighting each of the four essential elements of Hip Hop (Mc'ing, Deejaying, B-Boying and Graffiti) and other topics critical to the international development of Hip Hop.
The HHWS is the brainchild of IMC Secretary General Damien Pwono , who recognized Hip Hop's incredible presence in the global arena and its immense power as a form of cultural expression. IMC, by virtue of its continued commitment to advocating the cultural contributions of diverse musical forms, is instrumental in supporting the HHWS as an international dialogue on and commemoration of Hip Hop. Founded in 1949 at UNESCO's request, the IMC has developed over the years into a highly influential network of knowledge and experience that touches on every aspect of music. Present on all continents, with a membership consisting of 76 national committees and 34 international member organizations, the IMC became the world's leading professional organization dedicated to the development and the promotion of diverse music. Located in UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France, the IMC is charged with developing cross-cultural musical exchanges via education, performance, research and documentation.

For further information on the Hip Hop World Summit, please visit
www.hiphopworldsummit.com

release IMD 2004-after French

COMMUNIQUE DE PRESSE

Le Conseil international de la musique (CIM) célèbre la Journée internationale de la musique (JIM) au siège de l'Unesco à Paris

Le 4 octobre 2004: la Journée internationale de la musique, célébrée le 1er octobre de chaque année, est un jour de réflexion et d'échange d'expériences sur la contribution de la musique et des musiciens à la société. Depuis sa création en 1975 par Lord Yehudi Menuhin, alors Président du CIM, les membres de l'organisation mettent en oeuvre, tous les 1ers octobre, une série d'activités destinées à sensibiliser l'opinion publique à l'importance de la musique. Cette année, tout particulièrement, la célébration de la Journée internationale de la musique 2004, étendue au 2 octobre, a été officiellement inaugurée par une réception au Siège de l'UNESCO à Paris, où se situe le Secrétariat du CIM. Messieurs Kifah Fakhouri, Président du CIM; Mounir Bouchenaki, Sous- Directeur général de l' UNESCO pour la culture et Hans-Heinrich Wrede, Président du Conseil Exécutif de l'UNESCO, nous ont fait l'honneur de leur présence en prononçant des discours qui ont souligné l'importance du rôle de la musique en tant que besoin fondamental de l'humanité. Cette Journée a également reflété la nouvelle politique du CIM de promotion et de développement de la diversité musicale et du rôle des musiciens dans un contexte de développement social, économique et culturel.

Cette nouvelle dynamique du CIM s'est illustrée à travers l'exposition dédiée à ses membres, reflétant la diversité et la richesse des activités et intérêts musicaux du réseau du CIM, en présentant des publications, des photographies et des posters de qualité. L'exposition a eu lieu dans le foyer de la salle I de l'UNESCO, salle où était organisé le concert de jazz. Placé sous le patronage de l'Organisation des Nations Unies pour l'Education, la Science et la Culture (UNESCO), ledit concert a réuni des jazzmen de renommée internationale, sous la direction de Nathan Davis, Directeur des études du Programme de Jazz de l'Université de Pittsburgh aux Etats-Unis d'Amérique. Ces artistes venus du monde entier, - Jon Faddis et Maurice Brown (trompette), Marc Godfroid (trombone), Johnny Griffin (saxophone), Makoto Kuriya (piano), Billy Cobham (percussion), Abraham Laboriel (basse), Nelson Veras (guitare) et David Linx (voix) - qui se sont retrouvés sur scène après des années de séparation, ont offert une soirée de très grande qualité sur le thème: "Le jazz à la rencontre du monde: un hommage à l'éducation par le jazz". Lors de cette soirée, a également eu lieu, une remise de Prix en récompense de l'ensemble de leur oeuvre, à Billy Taylor (piano), Johnny Griffin (saxophone), Michel Sardaby (piano) et Martial Solal (piano), décernés respectivement par le Président du CIM, Kifah Fakhouri, le Président du Comité national français du CIM, Jacques Charpentier, et James Mahler, Proviseur et Vice-Chancelier de l'Université de Pittsburgh. On citera également le prix inattendu remis au pianiste Art Simmons.

Le samedi 2 octobre, les manifestations se sont poursuivies à la Maison des Cultures du Monde, avec la participation des musiciens de la veille, lors d'une " master-class " et d'une table ronde sur le thème "Le jazz à Paris dans les années 60: les années d'or". Les débats donneront lieu ultérieurement à une publication.

Cette célébration de la Journée internationale de la musique a vu le jour grâce à la généreuse contribution de l'Université de Pittsburgh, de la Fondation Ford, de Cultural Engineering, LLC et de la Maison des cultures du monde. Elle a marqué le lancement d'une nouvelle initiative phare du CIM, Music@UNESCO, qui présentera régulièrement à l'UNESCO les activités des membres et des partenaires du CIM, tout en servant de laboratoire à la créativité artistique et à l'échange culturel. Le prochain événement organisé dans le cadre de cette initiative sera le premier Sommet mondial du Hip Hop accompagné des " Global Hip Hop Awards ", qui se tiendra du 12 au 14 novembre 2004 au siège de l'UNESCO à Paris.

La Journée internationale de la musique 2005 sera célébrée à Los Angeles dans le cadre du programme phare du CIM, le Forum mondial de la musique.

Pour plus d'informations:
Conseil international de la musique
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone: 0033 1 45 68 48 50