City of Music (UNESCO)

UNESCO Cities of Music

Adelaide Festival Centre in South Australia

City of Music is a designation given by UNESCO to a number of cities around the world "that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development", to promote cooperation among them and to help establish further music-related activities in the cities.[1] The network is a sub-network of the wider UNESCO Creative Cities Network, or UCCN. The UCCN 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.[2]

## Cities of Music values

[edit]

Korenlei and Graslei in Ghent, Belgium

The purpose of the UNESCO Creative City Network is to use creativity to drive the sustainable development of cities.

## 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 a 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]

According to Lonely Planet, Daegu is a "pleasant and progressive place," and Leiria is an "agreeable mixture of medieval and modern".[10][11]

Lonely Planet describes Adelaide as "sophisticated, cultured, and neat-casual".[12] In 2024, after the historic pub and popular live music venue Crown and Anchor was threatened with demolition and then saved after extensive public backlash and protests, the state government introduced laws to protect live music venues in Adelaide city centre. Part of the justification for this was given as the city's status as a City of Music.[13]

## Cities of Music

[edit]

As of 2024, there are 75 Cities of Music. Nine countries have two Cities of Music,[a] while six countries have three member cities.[b] Colombia is the only country with four Cities of Music.

The Cities of Music are:

City  | Country  | Year

|
|

Abu Dhabi |  United Arab Emirates | 2021[14]
Adelaide |  Australia | 2015[15]
Almaty |  Kazakhstan | 2017[16]
Amarante |  Portugal | 2017[17]
Ambon |  Indonesia | 2019[18]
Auckland |  New Zealand | 2017[9]
Banja Luka |  Bosnia & Herzegovina | 2023[19]
Batoumi |  Georgia | 2021[20]
Belfast |  United Kingdom | 2021[21]
Bissau |  Guinea-Bissau | 2023[19]
Bogotá |  Colombia | 2012[22]
Bologna |  Italy | 2006[23]
Bolzano |  Italy | 2023[19]
Brazzaville |  Congo | 2013[24]
Brno |  Czech Republic | 2017[25]
Bydgoszcz |  Poland | 2023[19]
Caracas |  Venezuela | 2023[19]
Chennai |  India | 2017[26]
Concepción |  Chile | 2023[27]
Da Lat |  Vietnam | 2023[19]
Daegu |  South Korea | 2017[28]
Essaouira |  Morocco | 2019[29]
Frutillar |  Chile | 2017[30]
Ghent |  Belgium | 2009[8]
Glasgow |  United Kingdom | 2008[31]
Gwalior |  India | 2023[19]
Hamamatsu |  Japan | 2014[5]
Hanover |  Germany | 2014[32]
Havana |  Cuba | 2019[33]
Huancayo |  Peru | 2021[34]
Ibagué |  Colombia | 2021[35]
Idanha-a-Nova |  Portugal | 2015[7]
Ipoh |  Malaysia | 2023[19]
Kansas City |  United States | 2017[36]
Katowice |  Poland | 2015[37]
Kazan |  Russia | 2019[38]
Kharkiv |  Ukraine | 2021
Kingston |  Jamaica | 2015[39]
Kinshasa |  Democratic Republic of Congo | 2015[40]
Kırşehir |  Turkey | 2019[41]
Leiria |  Portugal | 2019[42]
Liverpool |  United Kingdom | 2015[43]
Llíria |  Spain | 2019[44]
London |  Canada | 2021[45]
Mannheim |  Germany | 2014[46]
Medellín |  Colombia | 2015[47]
Metz |  France | 2019[48]
Mexicali |  Mexico | 2023[19]
Montreux |  Switzerland | 2023[19]
Morelia |  Mexico | 2017[49]
Norrköping |  Sweden | 2017[50]
Pesaro |  Italy | 2017[51]
Port Louis |  Mauritius | 2021[52]
Port of Spain |  Trinidad and Tobago | 2019[53]
Praia |  Cape Verde | 2017[54]
Ramallah |  Palestine | 2019[55]
Recife |  Brazil | 2021[56]
Salvador |  Brazil | 2015[57]
Sanandaj |  Iran | 2019[58]
Şanlıurfa |  Turkey | 2023[19]
Santiago de Cuba |  Cuba | 2021[59]
Santo Domingo |  Dominican Republic | 2019[60]
Seville |  Spain | 2006[61]
Suphan Buri |  Thailand | 2023[19]
Tallinn |  Estonia | 2021[62]
Tongyeong |  South Korea | 2015[63]
Toulouse |  France | 2023[19]
Valledupar |  Colombia | 2019[64]
Valparaíso |  Chile | 2019[65]
Varanasi |  India | 2015[66]
Varaždin |  Croatia | 2023[19]
Veliky Novgorod |  Russia | 2023[19]
Veszprém |  Hungary | 2019[67]
Vranje |  Serbia | 2019[68]
Xalapa |  Mexico | 2021[69]

## 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

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Cuba, France, Germany, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, and Turkey.
2. ^ Chile, India, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, and the United Kingdom.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "The Cities of Music". UNESCO Cities of Music. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
2. ^ "Cities Join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network".
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. ^ "Daegu".
11. ^ "Leiria".
12. ^ "Adelaide".
13. ^ Eccles, David; Karakulak, Helen (19 August 2024). "Cranker saved from demolition under historic deal and legislation". InDaily. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
14. ^ "Abu Dhabi". UNESCO Cities of Music. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
15. ^ "Adelaide". Creative Cities Network. UNESCO. Archived from the original on 2 December 2023.
16. ^ "Almaty".
17. ^ "Amarante".
18. ^ "Ambon".
19. ^ 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.
20. ^ "Batumi". UNESCO Cities of Music. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
21. ^ "Belfast". UNESCO Cities of Music. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
22. ^ "Bogotá".
23. ^ "Bologna".
24. ^ "Brazzaville".
25. ^ "Brno".
26. ^ "Chennai".
27. ^ "Concepción". UNESCO Cities of Music. 12 February 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
28. ^ "Daegu".
29. ^ "Essaouira".
30. ^ "Frutillar".
31. ^ "Glasgow".
32. ^ "Hanover".
33. ^ "Havana".
34. ^ "Huancayo". UNESCO Cities of Music. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
35. ^ "Ibagué". UNESCO Cities of Music. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
36. ^ "Kansas City".
37. ^ "Katowice".
38. ^ "Kazan".
39. ^ "Kingston".
40. ^ "Kinshasa".
41. ^ "Kırşehir".
42. ^ "Leiria".
43. ^ "Liverpool".
44. ^ "Llíria".
45. ^ "London, Ont. Is Canada's first UNESCO City of Music". 8 November 2021.
46. ^ "Mannheim".
47. ^ "Medellín".
48. ^ "Metz".
49. ^ "Morelia".
50. ^ "Norrköping".
51. ^ "Pesaro".
52. ^ "Port Louis". UNESCO Cities of Music. 14 July 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
53. ^ "Port of Spain".
54. ^ "Praia".
55. ^ "Ramallah".
56. ^ "Recife". UNESCO Cities of Music. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
57. ^ "Salvador".
58. ^ "Sanandaj".
59. ^ "Santiago de Cuba". UNESCO Cities of Music. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
60. ^ "Santo Domingo".
61. ^ "Seville".
62. ^ "Tallinn".
63. ^ "Tongyeong".
64. ^ "Valledupar".
65. ^ "Valparaíso".
66. ^ "Varanasi".
67. ^ "Veszprém".
68. ^ "Vranje".
69. ^ "Xalapa". UNESCO Cities of Music. 18 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website