Edinburgh to host world music awards

Sunday Herald, The, Feb 1, 2004 by Liam McDougall

IT captured the youth music scene by hosting the MTV Europe Music Awards last year. Now Edinburgh is also set to become the centre of world music - ethnically influenced composition that is neither pop nor classical.

Artists such as Ibrahim Ferrer and DJ Dolores will converge on the city later this year when the capital hosts the prestigious Awards For World Music. The city saw off competition from other international capitals to secure the awards, run by BBC Radio 3 and to be held at the Usher Hall next month. It is the first time the prizes have been held outside London.

Alex Webb, Radio 3's events co-ordinator, said Edinburgh was chosen because of its "cultural vibrancy". "Everyone knows how young and vibrant Edinburgh is. It was the obvious place to hold the awards."

To accommodate the March 9 ceremony, the Usher Hall will remove seating and turn the front area into a standing arena.

Karl Chapman, general manager of the Usher Hall, said: "There will be a lot of eyes on the city when the awards come here. It's quite a coup for Edinburgh. It's not near to the size of the MTV awards but it's hugely important and it's growing every year."

Now in their third year, the BBC Awards For World Music are becoming know as the most prestigious of their kind.

It is planned to move the awards to other European capitals in future. Webb added: "This is a small scene at the moment but it is one that is growing. The plan is to move the awards around in the future but I can see us moving them to Edinburgh again."

The winners of the 2004 Awards For World Music are: Ibrahim Ferrer, Kadim Al Sahir, Daara J, Ojos De Brujo, Sevara Nazarkhan, DJ Dolores, Think Of One and Warsaw Village Band.

The concert will be broadcast on March 13 by BBC Radio 3 and screened the day before on digital TV channel BBC Four. Last year, the awards attracted five million listeners worldwide.