Glasgow has been awarded the title UNESCO City of Music, nearly 20 years after becoming the European Capital of Culture.
Glasgow Lord Provost, Bob Winter, accepted the award from Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, the Director General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) at a lunch in the city.
“It is wonderful to be accepting the UNESCO City of Music Award on behalf of Glasgow. I am thrilled that Glasgow’s rich and varied musical heritage has been recognised by UNESCO. We embrace the award on behalf of our talented musicians and composers whose work has contributed to our great city being given the permanent prestige of being a City of Music. I am confident this can only boost our musical ambitions and encourage and nurture future musical talent,” said Bob Winter on receiving the title.
Glasgow's music scene has bred big names such as Franz Ferdinand, the Fratellis, Snow Patrol, Travis, Teenage Fanclub and Belle and Sebastian and newcomers like Isosceles, Amy MacDonald and Glasvegas. The city's classical, Celtic and country scene is also legendary.
On average, 127 musical events take place in the city every week at famous venues including King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, the Glasgow Barrowland Ballroom, the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and Theatre Royal. Each year music contributes about £75m to Glasgow's economy.
Glasgow now joins ten other global cities as part of UNESCO's Creative Cities Network. The network aims to promote social, economic and cultural development in cities across the world. Each city is expected to use its new status to promote its music scene and create opportunities for improvement, reporting to UNESCO every two years.
A major event is expected to take place in Glasgow to celebrate within the coming year. In 1990, Glasgow's status as European Capital of Culture acted as a catalyst for regeneration projects and widescale urban renewal.
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