Credit: Danylo-Bobyk

The Azrieli Music Prizes (AMP) has announced its London debut concert to be held at Cadogan Hall on Oct. 15, 2023.

The Canada-based organization will present the works of three 2022 AMP Laureates, Iman Habibi (Laureate, 2022 Azrieli Commission for Canadian Music), Aharon Harlap (Laureate, 2022 Azrieli Commission for Jewish Music), and Rita Ueda (Laureate, 2022 Azrieli Commission for Canadian Music).

Under the direction of the American conductor Steven Mercurio, London’s Philharmonia Orchestra will perform the works.

The program features Ueda’s “Birds Calling… from the Canada in You for shō, suona/sheng and orchestra.” The work incorporates Japanese, Chinese, and Western Musical traditions within a uniquely Canadian bird song soundscape; Iman Habibi’s “Shāhīn-nāmeh,” a song cycle for voice and orchestra based on the poetry of 14th-century Judo Persian  poet Shahin Shirazi; and Aharon Harlap’s “Out of the depths, I cried unto Thee, O Lord,” which will feature Sharon Azrieli as soloist.

Founded in 2014, the biennial Azrieli Music Prizes reflect the Azrieli Foundation’s belief in music as a medium for human creativity and cultural exchange. AMP welcomes submissions from individuals of all ages, genders, nationalities, backgrounds, and faiths from across the globe. Proposals undergo review by three expert juries via an open call.