Guardians of musical heritage honoured at Aga Khan Music Awards ceremony
Laureates of the 2025 Aga Khan Music Awards gather for a group photo with Prince Amyn, Prince Hussain, and Prince Aly Muhammad.Photo: AKDN / João Octávio Peixoto
Prince Aly Muhammad addresses guests at the 2025 Aga Khan Music Awards prize-giving ceremony in London.Photo: AKDN / João Octávio Peixoto
Bahrain's Qalali Folk Band perform for the audience at the Aga Khan Music Awards prize-giving ceremony on 22 November 2025.Photo: AKDN / João Octávio Peixoto
L to R: Farah Kaddour, Senny Camara, and Kamilya Jubran after collaborating on stage in London on 22 November 2025.Photo: AKDN / João Octávio Peixoto
Fairouz Nishanova, Director of the Aga Khan Music Programme, applauds laureates of the Aga Khan Music Awards 2025.Photo: AKDN / João Octávio Peixoto
Derya Türkan and Kyriakos Kalaitzidis perform alongside Jodi Savall, Yurdan Tokcan and David Mayoral in London on 22 November 2025.Photo: AKDN / João Octávio Peixoto
Morocco’s Hamid El Kasri performs with his band at the 2025 Aga Khan Music Awards prize-giving ceremony in London.Photo: AKDN / João Octávio Peixoto
A sold-out audience at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London's Southbank enjoying the Aga Khan Music Awards 2025 prize-giving ceremony.Photo: AKDN / João Octávio Peixoto
London was the meeting point last night for musical traditions from across the world, as the Aga Khan Music Awards recognised 11 artists and groups dedicated to preserving and reinventing their cultural heritage.
The prize-giving ceremony, held for the first time in the UK, brought together artists working thousands of miles apart, all committed to the same goal: keeping musical traditions alive while finding new ways to share them with audiences today.
The Aga Khan Music Awards were established in 2018 by Mawlana Shah Karim and Prince Amyn to honour individuals and groups whose work sustains and reimagines living musical heritage shaped by Islam, while promoting spiritual insight, community vitality, and cultural resilience.
Fairouz Nishanova, Director of the Aga Khan Music Programme, welcomed guests to the ceremony. “Tonight we honour the artistry and achievements in recognising an extraordinary constellation of winners, performing in seamless harmony,” she said.
She also explained the value of music in our everyday lives: “It is the pulse beneath our stories, the memory of what we’ve built, and the proof of what we have survived,” she said. “Music has outlasted empires, revolutions, and wars. It never fights with force—it simply waits. And it always returns.”
In attendance were special guests His Excellency Sheikh Salem bin Khalid Al Qassimi, UAE’s Minister of Culture; and Sheikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, President of Bahrain’s authority for culture and antiquities. Prince Amyn was also present, alongside Prince Hussain, Princess Fareen, Prince Aly Muhammad and leaders of the Jamat and AKDN.
Prince Aly Muhammad delivered a keynote address in which he spoke of the uniting, bridge-building quality of music.
“While there are many barriers, music remains one of the most accessible art forms,” he said. “Perhaps that is why it is one of the few spaces where difference does not divide us—it allows all of us to share emotion without translation. And that is what these Awards stand for.”
At the conclusion of his remarks, he addressed this year’s winning artists, and expressed his gratitude for their originality and humanity. “Thank you for reminding us what it means,” he said, “to create with purpose, with humility, and with heart.”
The 2025 laureates reflect remarkable variety: Mali’s Mariam Bagayoko, nicknamed the “Nightingale of Bélédougou,” plays the n’goussounbala, a large wooden percussion instrument, and teaches it to younger women and girls. She was awarded this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Iranian-American composer Sahba Aminikia runs the Flying Carpet Festival, which brings music to children forced from their homes by war in southeastern Turkey. Palestinian oud player Kamilya Jubran has built a career pushing the boundaries of Arabic music through collaborations with European artists. Bahrain's Qalali Folk Band, performing together for over a century, keeps alive the traditional music of the country’s pearl-diving heritage.
Other winners included Greek musician Kyriakos Kalaitzidis, who shows how Islamic and European musical traditions connect; Morocco’s Hamid El Kasri, a Gnawa master who has performed with international jazz artists including Snarky Puppy; and Turkey's Derya Türkan, who mixes Turkish classical music with jazz influences.
Senegalese musician Senny Camara, one of only a few women playing the kora—a 21-stringed instrument usually played by men—uses her music to speak about gender equality and environmental issues. Lebanese artist Farah Kaddour performs on the buzuq, a long-necked lute, while working with communities displaced by conflict.
Ahead of last night’s prize giving ceremony, the distinguished Patron’s Award was conferred upon the Warsi Brothers and Naseeruddin Saami—two of South Asia’s most remarkable musical acts, both of which trace their heritage to the esteemed 13th-century Sufi poet Amir Khusrau.
This year’s laureates were chosen from more than 400 candidates by a panel of seven international judges, including Malian singer Oumou Sangaré, violinist David Harrington of the Kronos Quartet, and early music expert Jordi Savall. In addition to a share of the prize fund, award recipients benefit from professional development opportunities including new commissions, recording projects, management support, and assistance for educational and preservation initiatives.
Earlier in the day, the Aga Khan Music Programme Freestage, hosted at London’s Clore Ballroom, featured free performances by talented artists from the UK and global Jamat in collaboration with the Aga Khan Master Musicians and special guests.
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Watch the full speech here: