Unveiling the 2025 Aga Khan Music Awards: A Celebration of Musical Excellence and Cultural Resilience
The Aga Khan Music Programme unveiled the 2025 recipients of the prestigious Aga Khan Music Awards on Monday night, showcasing a diverse array of musical genius across various diasporas. This year's list is a testament to the profound impact of music as a cultural bridge and a source of inspiration.
Among the esteemed winners are Pakistan's Ustad Naseeruddin Saami, a master of the khayal genre, India's renowned qawwals, the Warsi Brothers, and Malian legend Mariam Bagayoko. These artists have been recognized for their lifelong dedication to preserving and upholding precious musical traditions. Their contributions are complemented by other artists who are making a difference through their unique work. From safeguarding Bahrain's pearl-diving songs to providing solace to conflict-affected children in Syria and Türkiye, these winners are making a profound impact.
In addition to a share of the prize fund, the winners will receive career-advancement support, including commissions, recordings, preservation initiatives, and educational programs. This support aligns with the programme's mission to foster pluralism, tolerance, and cultural connections through music.
For the first time, the ceremony will be held in the United Kingdom, bringing together laureates from Pakistan, India, Morocco, Bahrain, Iran, Mali, Palestine, Greece, Senegal, Lebanon, and Türkiye. On November 22, they will gather at the Southbank Centre in London, in partnership with the EFG London Jazz Festival, to celebrate musical excellence, spiritual heritage, and cross-cultural creativity.
Prince Rahim Aga Khan, reflecting on the programme's vision, emphasized the Awards' role in bridging cultures and uplifting the human spirit. He stated that the Awards honor traditions that are 'woven into the rhythms of prayer, celebration, memory, and identity.'
An independent Master Jury, comprising renowned figures such as Malian icon Oumou Sangaré, early music pioneer Jordi Savall, and Kronos Quartet founder David Harrington, selected the laureates from over 400 global nominees.
Special Awards:
Mariam Bagayoko (Mali) - Lifetime Achievement Award: Recognizing nearly a century of safeguarding Mali's musical heritage, Mariam Bagayoko, affectionately known as the 'Nightingale of Bélédougou,' is a master of the n'goussounbala balafon and a commanding vocalist. Her dedication to transmitting repertoire, dance, and cultural knowledge to women and girls has nurtured future custodians of Mali's traditions.
Ustad Naseeruddin Saami & The Saami Brothers (Pakistan) - Patron's Award: Ustad Naseeruddin Saami, a towering figure of the Delhi gharana, is celebrated for his nearly 800-year lineage tracing back to Amir Khusrau. His pioneering 49-note microtonal system and devotion to khayal as a spiritual discipline have earned him global reverence. Together with his sons, Ustad Rauf, Ustad Urooj, Ahmed, and Azeem, he has brought Pakistan's classical heritage to global stages.
Naseer & Nazeer Ahmed Khan Warsi (India) - Patron's Award: The Warsi Brothers, direct heirs to the qawwali lineage of the Qawwal Bachche, trained by Amir Khusrau himself, represent one of the subcontinent's most storied traditions in devotional music. Their work continues the centuries-old service of shrine singing while bringing Khusrau's repertoire to contemporary audiences.
The 2025 Laureates:
Sahba Aminikia (Iran/USA): A composer and humanitarian, Sahba Aminikia founded the Flying Carpet Festival, bringing music and joy to Syrian, Turkish, and Kurdish children displaced by war.
Senny Camara (Senegal): Senny Camara, a kora player and singer, offers a fresh, feminist voice in Senegalese music, addressing ecology, gender, and justice in her multilingual compositions.
Kamilya Jubran (Palestine/France): Kamilya Jubran, a vanguard of contemporary Arabic music, blends tradition with experimental practice and champions artistic freedom through her organization, Zamkana.
Farah Kaddour (Lebanon): Farah Kaddour, a buzuq innovator, performer, and scholar, expands the instrument's expressive world and supports cultural development in displaced communities.
Kyriakos Kalaidzidis (Greece): Kyriakos Kalaidzidis, an oud player, composer, and scholar, illuminates the shared musical histories of the Islamic and Mediterranean worlds through performance and cross-regional research.
Hamid El Kasri (Morocco): Hamid El Kasri, a Gnawa maestro, is celebrated for his powerful voice, spiritual repertoire, and collaborations with global musicians.
Qalali Folk Band (Bahrain): A century-old ensemble, Qalali Folk Band preserves Bahrain's maritime musical heritage, including fijri, the songs of pearl divers inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Heritage list.
Derya Türkan (Türkiye): Derya Türkan, an acclaimed kemençe virtuoso, blends Turkish classical music with European and jazz traditions, contributing to award-winning film scores.
The Aga Khan Music Awards, established in 2018 by His Late Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV and Prince Amyn Aga Khan, honor exceptional achievements across diverse musical cultures shaped by Islam. They recognize individuals, groups, and institutions whose work sustains and reinvents musical traditions while promoting spiritual insight, social cohesion, and cultural resilience.
