Each year, the WOMEX Awards recognize and celebrate outstanding contributions to global music on an international scale. These awards honour achievements in various domains, including musical excellence, social significance, commercial success, political influence, and lifetime contributions—any of which could make someone a deserving recipient.
The awards not only aspire to celebrate the past achievements of artists and professionals but also inspire and encourage a new generation of musicians and advocates to push the boundaries of music, creativity, and social impact.
Since their inception in 1999, the list of awardees has grown impressively. Here you can find a list of all the recipients of the WOMEX Awards.
Hermeto Pascoal (Brazil) will receive the WOMEX 24 Artist Award
The personification of the tireless spirit of music, Brazilian composer and multi-multi-instrumentalist Hermeto Pascoal began his career in 1950 at the age of 14. In the ensuing time he's made music enough for several lifetimes, creating over ten thousand compositions and picking up a plethora of awards and honorary doctorates on the way.
It is for his extraordinary and uncompromising artistic vision as a musician and composer; for the breathtaking quality and sheer quantity of his recorded and live output over a 74-year career; and for influencing and inspiring generations of world-jazz-and-beyond explorers in Brazil and the world over, that we are delighted that Hermeto Pascoal is the WOMEX 24 Artist Award recipient.
In Place Of War (IPOW) will receive the WOMEX 24 Professional Excellence Award
IPOW specialises in ‘artivism’, using music, theatre and visual art to help people not only during times of war, but after war, once much of the immediate international attention has dissipated, as well as communities affected by political violence, oppression and gang violence. By working across five ‘pillars’ – space, engage, learn, support, create – IPOW make sure that their projects are people-first.
For using art- with music as a rich and dynamic strand - to make lasting differences to people and communities affected by war all across the world; for giving arts professionals a roadmap for collaborative community engagement; and for achieving such wide-ranging results in just twenty years, we are delighted to announce In Place of War as the recipient of the WOMEX 24 Award for Professional Excellence.
article posted by:Gideon Elfgen, Piranha Arts