City of Music (UNESCO)
UNESCO's City of Music programme is part of the wider Creative Cities Network.
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The Network launched in 2004, and has member cities in seven creative fields. The other fields are: Crafts and Folk Art, Design, Film, Gastronomy, Literature, and Media Arts.[1]
Criteria for Cities of Music
To be approved as a City of Music, cities need to meet a number of criteria set by UNESCO.[2]
Designated UNESCO Cities of Music share similar characteristics:
- recognised centres of musical creation and activity
- experience in hosting music festivals and events at a national or international level
- promotion of the music industry in all its forms
- music schools, conservatories, academies, and higher education institutions specialised in music
- informal structures for music education, including amateur choirs and orchestras
- domestic or international platforms dedicated to particular genres of music and/or music from other countries
- cultural spaces suited for practicing and listening to music, e.g. open-air auditoriums.
About the cities
In March 2006, Seville was designated as the first City of Music. Bologna was named approximately two months later.[3]
Seville has a "legendary Flamenco scene," and UNESCO lists Flamenco as an "intangible cultural heritage."[4]
Hamamatsu, Japan, is the founding city of musical instrument companies Yamaha, Kawai, and Roland.[5]
Liverpool—"the city that spawned The Beatles," earned its designation due to music's "place in the heart of the city's life." UNESCO also noted a "clearly defined" music, education, and skills strategy for young people.[6]
Idanha-a-Nova "lives by the rhythm of music;" Ghent is a "city full of culture," in Belgium; and Auckland is the "beating heart of New Zealand's music industry."[7][8][9]
Varanasi, India, is "sacred, soulful, spectacular," and Daegu is a "pleasant and progressive place."[10][11][12]
Cities of Music
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As of 2019, forty-seven Cities of Music have been designated by UNESCO.
Nineteen of the participating cities are European, ten are Asian and Middle Eastern. South America and North America each have six; Africa has four; and two have been designated in Oceania.
Seven countries have two member cities. Portugal and Colombia are the only countries to have three member cities
The Cities of Music are:
Adelaide (2015)[13]
Almaty (2017)[14]
Amarante (2017)[15]
Ambon (2019)[16]
Auckland (2017)[17]
Bogotá (2012)[18]
Bologna (2006)[19]
Brazzaville (2013)[20]
Brno (2017)[21]
Chennai (2017)[22]
Daegu (2017)[23]
Essaouira (2019)[24]
Frutillar (2017)[25]
Ghent (2009)[26]
Glasgow (2008)[27]
Hamamatsu (2014)[28]
Hanover (2014)[29]
Havana (2019)[30]
Idanha-a-Nova (2015)[31]
Kansas City (2017)[32]
Katowice (2015)[33]
Kazan (2019)[34]
Kingston (2015)[35]
Kinshasa (2015)[36]
Kırşehir (2019)[37]
Leiria (2019)[38]
Lliria (2019)[39]
Liverpool (2015)[40]
Mannheim (2014)[41]
Medellín (2015)[42]
Metz (2019)[43]
Morelia (2017)[44]
Norrköping (2017)[45]
Pesaro (2017)[46]
Port of Spain (2019)[47]
Praia (2017)[48]
Ramallah (2019)[49]
Salvador (2015)[50]
Sanandaj (2019)[51]
Santo Domingo (2019)[52]
Seville (2006)[53]
Tongyeong (2015)[54]
Valledupar (2019)[55]
Valparaíso (2019)[56]
Varanasi (2015)[57]
Veszprém (2019)[58]
Vranje (2019)[59]
References
- "Cities Join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network".
- "The Creative Cities Network" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-07-31.
- "UNESCO's Cities of Music".
- "Seville's Legendary Flamenco Scene".
- "Hamamatsu".
- "Liverpool receives 'City of Music' honour from UNESCO".
- "Idanha-a-Nova".
- "Ghent".
- "Auckland".
- "Varanasi".
- "Daegu".
- "Seville".
- "Adelaide".
- "Almaty".
- "Amarante".
- "Ambon".
- "Auckland".
- "Bogotá".
- "Bologna".
- "Brazzaville".
- "Brno".
- "Chennai".
- "Daegu".
- "Essaouira".
- "Frutillar".
- "Ghent".
- "Glasgow".
- "Hamamatsu".
- "Hanover".
- "Havana".
- "Idanha-a-Nova".
- "Kansas City".
- "Katowice".
- "Kazan".
- "Kingston".
- "Kinshasa".
- "Kırşehir".
- "Leiria".
- "Lliria".
- "Liverpool".
- "Mannheim".
- "Medellín".
- "Metz".
- "Morelia".
- "Norrköping".
- "Pesaro".
- "Port of Spain".
- "Praia".
- "Ramallah".
- "Salvador".
- "Sanandaj".
- "Santo Domingo".
- "Seville".
- "Tongyeong".
- "Valledupar".
- "Valparaíso".
- "Varanasi".
- "Veszprém".
- "Vranje".