Dawn Images

The Aga Khan Music Programme announced on Monday night the recipients of the 2025 Aga Khan Music Awards, and this year’s list reads like a map of musical genius across diasporas.

Among the honourees are Pakistan’s khayal maestro Ustad Naseeruddin Saami, India’s iconic qawwals the Warsi Brothers, and Malian legend Mariam Bagayoko — all receiving special awards recognising their lifetimes of service and stewardship of precious musical traditions. They are joined by artists whose work ranges from preserving Bahrain’s pearl-diving songs to using music as a form of relief for conflict-affected children in Syria and Türkiye.

In addition to a share of the prize fund, winners will receive career-advancement support, from commissions and recordings to preservation and education initiatives, in keeping with the programme’s mission to promote pluralism, tolerance, and cultural connection through music.

For the first time, the ceremony will be held in the United Kingdom, with laureates from Pakistan, India, Morocco, Bahrain, Iran, Mali, Palestine, Greece, Senegal, Lebanon and Türkiye gathering in London on November 22 for a celebration of musical excellence, spiritual heritage, and cross-cultural creativity at the Southbank Centre in partnership with the EFG London Jazz Festival.

Prince Rahim Aga Khan, speaking to the programme’s vision, said the Awards reflect “the belief in the power of music to bridge cultures and uplift the human spirit,” honouring traditions “woven into the rhythms of prayer, celebration, memory and identity”.

An independent Master Jury of global luminaries, including Malian icon Oumou Sangaré, early music pioneer Jordi Savall and Kronos Quartet founder David Harrington, selected the laureates from more than 400 nominees worldwide.

Special awards

Mariam Bagayoko (Mali) — Lifetime Achievement Award

An 87-year-old legend affectionately known as the “Nightingale of Bélédougou,” Mariam Bagayoko is being recognised for nearly a century spent safeguarding Mali’s musical heritage. A master of the n’goussounbala balafon and a commanding vocalist, she has dedicated her life to transmitting repertoire, dance and cultural knowledge to women and girls, nurturing future custodians of Mali’s traditions.

Ustad Naseeruddin Saami & The Saami Brothers (Pakistan) — Patron’s Award

A towering figure of the Delhi gharana, Ustad Naseeruddin Saami is celebrated for his nearly 800-year lineage tracing back to Amir Khusrau, the mystical poet and musical innovator credited with shaping South Asia’s khayal and qawwali traditions.

Saami’s pioneering 49-note microtonal system and his devotion to khayal as a spiritual discipline have earned him reverence at home and abroad. Together with his sons, Ustad Rauf, Ustad Urooj, Ahmed, and Azeem, with whom he performs as The Saami Brothers, he has carried Pakistan’s classical heritage to global stages, from WOMAD to the BBC Proms and sold-out performances across the United States.

“This award belongs to all who listen and carry forward this art with devotion,” Ustad Saami said, describing khayal as “prayer through breath”.

Naseer & Nazeer Ahmed Khan Warsi (India) — Patron’s Award

Direct heirs to the qawwali lineage of the Qawwal Bachche, disciples trained by Amir Khusrau himself, the Warsi Brothers represent one of the subcontinent’s most storied traditions in devotional music. Their work continues the centuries-old service of shrine singing while bringing Khusrau’s repertoire to contemporary audiences across India and beyond.

The 2025 laureates

Sahba Aminikia (Iran/USA)

Composer and humanitarian founder of the Flying Carpet Festival, bringing music and joy to Syrian, Turkish and Kurdish children displaced by war.

Senny Camara (Senegal)

A kora player and singer offering a fresh, feminist voice in Senegalese music, who addresses ecology, gender and justice in her multilingual compositions.

Kamilya Jubran (Palestine/France)

A vanguard of contemporary Arabic music blending tradition with experimental practice, and championing artistic freedom through her organisation, Zamkana.

Farah Kaddour (Lebanon)

Buzuq innovator, performer and scholar whose work expands the instrument’s expressive world and supports cultural development in displaced communities.

Kyriakos Kalaidzidis (Greece)

Oud player, composer and scholar illuminating the shared musical histories of the Islamic and Mediterranean worlds through performance and cross-regional research.

Hamid El Kasri (Morocco)

Gnawa maestro celebrated for his powerful voice, spiritual repertoire, and collaborations with global musicians from Snarky Puppy to Jacob Collier.

Qalali Folk Band (Bahrain)

A century-old ensemble preserving Bahrain’s maritime musical heritage, including fijri, the songs of pearl divers inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage list.

Derya Türkan (Türkiye)

Acclaimed kemençe virtuoso blending Turkish classical music with European and jazz traditions, and contributing to award-winning film scores, including Argo.

The Aga Khan Music Awards were established in 2018 by His Late Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV and his brother, Prince Amyn Aga Khan. They honour exceptional achievement across diverse musical cultures shaped by Islam and recognise individuals, groups, and institutions whose work sustains and reinvents musical traditions while promoting spiritual insight, social cohesion, and cultural resilience.