City of Music (UNESCO)

Designation of a city awarded by UNESCO

Adelaide Festival Centre in South Australia

UNESCO's City of Music programme is part of the wider Creative Cities Network.

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[edit]

Korenlei and Graslei in Ghent, Belgium

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[edit]

Plaza de España in Seville, Spain

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 is the founding city of musical instrument companies Yamaha, Kawai, and Roland. It has also an Museum of Musical Instruments.[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," and Auckland is the "beating heart of New Zealand's music industry."[7][8][9]

Adelaide is "sophisticated, cultured, and neat-casual," Daegu is a "pleasant and progressive place," and Leiria is an "agreeable mixture of medieval and modern."[10][11][12]

## Cities of Music[edit]

As of 2021, fifty 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. India, Colombia, Portugal, and the United Kingdom are the only countries to have three designated cities.

The Cities of Music are:

City  | Country  | Year of Inscription

|
|

Adelaide |  Australia | 2015[13]
Almaty |  Kazakhstan | 2017[14]
Amarante |  Portugal | 2017[15]
Ambon |  Indonesia | 2019[16]
Auckland |  New Zealand | 2017[9]
Belfast |  United Kingdom | 2021
Banja Luka |  Bosnia & Herzegovina | 2023[17]
Bissau |  Guinea-Bissau | 2023[17]
Bogotá |  Colombia | 2012[18]
Bologna |  Italy | 2006[19]
Bolzano |  Italy | 2023[17]
Brazzaville |  Congo | 2013[20]
Brno |  Czech Republic | 2017[21]
Bydgoszcz |  Poland | 2023[17]
Caracas |  Venezuela | 2023[17]
Chennai |  India | 2017[22]
Da Lat |  Vietnam | 2023[17]
Daegu |  Korea Republic | 2017[23]
Essaouira |  Morocco | 2019[24]
Frutillar |  Chile | 2017[25]
Ghent |  Belgium | 2009[8]
Glasgow |  United Kingdom | 2008[26]
Gwalior |  India | 2023[17]
Hamamatsu |  Japan | 2014[5]
Harbin |  China | 2010[27]
Hanover |  Germany | 2014[28]
Havana |  Cuba | 2019[29]
Idanha-a-Nova |  Portugal | 2015[7]
Ipoh |  Malaysia | 2023[17]
Kansas City |  United States | 2017[30]
Katowice |  Poland | 2015[31]
Kazan |  Russia | 2019[32]
Kingston |  Jamaica | 2015[33]
Kinshasa |  Democratic Republic of Congo | 2015[34]
Kırşehir |  Turkey | 2019[35]
Leiria |  Portugal | 2019[36]
Llíria |  Spain | 2019[37]
London |  Canada | 2021[38]
Liverpool |  United Kingdom | 2015[39]
Mannheim |  Germany | 2014[40]
Medellín |  Colombia | 2015[41]
Metz |  France | 2019[42]
Mexicali |  Mexico | 2023[17]
Montreux |  Switzerland | 2023[17]
Morelia |  Mexico | 2017[43]
Norrköping |  Sweden | 2017[44]
Pesaro |  Italy | 2017[45]
Port of Spain |  Trinidad and Tobago | 2019[46]
Praia |  Cape Verde | 2017[47]
Ramallah |  Palestine | 2019[48]
Salvador |  Brazil | 2015[49]
Sanandaj |  Iran | 2019[50]
Şanlıurfa |  Turkey | 2023[17]
Santo Domingo |  Dominican Republic | 2019[51]
Seville |  Spain | 2006[52]
Suphan Buri |  Thailand | 2023[17]
Tallinn |  Estonia | 2021[53]
Tongyeong |  South Korea | 2015[54]
Toulouse |  France | 2023[17]
Valledupar |  Colombia | 2019[55]
Valparaíso |  Chile | 2019[56]
Varanasi |  India | 2015[57]
Varaždin |  Croatia | 2023[17]
Veliky Novgorod |  Russia | 2023[17]
Veszprém |  Hungary | 2019[58]
Vranje |  Serbia | 2019[59]

## See also[edit]

* City of Gastronomy
* City of Literature
* City of Film
* Design Cities (UNESCO)
* City of Crafts and Folk Arts
* City of Media Arts
* Music of Adelaide

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Cities Join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network".
2. ^ "The Creative Cities Network" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-07-31.
3. ^ "UNESCO's Cities of Music". 22 September 2014. Archived from the original on 20 June 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
4. ^ "Seville's Legendary Flamenco Scene".
5. ^ a b "Hamamatsu".
6. ^ "Liverpool receives 'City of Music' honour from UNESCO". BBC News. 12 December 2015.
7. ^ a b "Idanha-a-Nova".
8. ^ a b "Ghent".
9. ^ a b "Auckland".
10. ^ "Adelaide".
11. ^ "Daegu".
12. ^ "Leiria".
13. ^ "Adelaide".
14. ^ "Almaty".
15. ^ "Amarante".
16. ^ "Ambon".
17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "55 new cities join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network on World Cities Day". Retrieved 31 October 2023.
18. ^ "Bogotá".
19. ^ "Bologna".
20. ^ "Brazzaville".
21. ^ "Brno".
22. ^ "Chennai".
23. ^ "Daegu".
24. ^ "Essaouira".
25. ^ "Frutillar".
26. ^ "Glasgow".
27. ^ "Harbin".
28. ^ "Hanover".
29. ^ "Havana".
30. ^ "Kansas City".
31. ^ "Katowice".
32. ^ "Kazan".
33. ^ "Kingston".
34. ^ "Kinshasa".
35. ^ "Kırşehir".
36. ^ "Leiria".
37. ^ "Llíria".
38. ^ "London, Ont. Is Canada's first UNESCO City of Music". 8 November 2021.
39. ^ "Liverpool".
40. ^ "Mannheim".
41. ^ "Medellín".
42. ^ "Metz".
43. ^ "Morelia".
44. ^ "Norrköping".
45. ^ "Pesaro".
46. ^ "Port of Spain".
47. ^ "Praia".
48. ^ "Ramallah".
49. ^ "Salvador".
50. ^ "Sanandaj".
51. ^ "Santo Domingo".
52. ^ "Seville".
53. ^ "Tallinn".
54. ^ "Tongyeong".
55. ^ "Valledupar".
56. ^ "Valparaíso".
57. ^ "Varanasi".
58. ^ "Veszprém".
59. ^ "Vranje".