“Portugal is a shining example of a pluralistic society united while remaining conscious of its diversity, historical past and culture, and it is thus fitting that the first Awards and this first ceremony along with the related concerts and events should take place here…..I am grateful indeed to the Government of Portugal for its support and to the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation for providing us their superb facilities for what I think is an exceptional occasion….Music is, by definition, an evolutionary art, and musical composition has always evolved. Men have always travelled and have always taken their music with them, modifying and transforming their traditional music as they heard the music of the people they met.” – Prince Amyn Aga Khan, March 29, 2019, Lisbon.

Mawlana Hazar Imam at the Lisbon Ismaili Centre

Mawlana Hazar Imam, Prince Amyn Muhammad, Prince Hussain, and Prince Aly Muhammad with members of the Master Jury and Steering Committee at Lisbon’s Ismaili Centre after their arrival in Lisbon. The wall in the background is one of two by the Centre’s main entrance that features the 99 Names of Allah. Photo: AKDN/Akbar Hakim.

Mawlana Hazar Imam, His Highness the Aga Khan, arrived in Lisbon on Friday March 29, 2019 to preside over the inaugural edition of the Aga Khan Music Awards which is being hosted over a 3 day period at Lisbon’s Gulbenkian Museum. Continue Reading