The Aga Khan Music Awards has announced the seven members of the Master Jury for 2020-2022.

The Jury is composed of eminent performing artists, music creators and cultural leaders from seven countries across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia and North America.

It is scheduled to meet in Lisbon in early July to select winners and finalists from a field of several hundred candidates put forward by a worldwide group of nominators and subsequently vetted by the Music Awards secretariat.

The Jury members are Shaikha Hala Bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, director-general of the Culture and Arts Directorate, Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities; Frangiz Ali-Zadeh, composer and pianist who creates music inspired by the traditions of Azerbaijani mugham and Sufi poetry; and Divya Bhatia, artistic director and producer, Rajasthan International Folk Festival.

Rachel Cooper, director of Global Performing Arts and Culture as Diplomacy Initiatives, Asia Society; Akram Khan, dancer, choreographer and artistic director, Akram Khan Company; Yurdal Tokcan, oud and guitar player, composer and ensemble leader; and Dhafer Youssef, oud player, vocalist and composer known for his genre-crossing work with jazz and pop musicians, are also part of it.

The Awards, which come with $500,000 in prizes, recognise and further develop exceptional creativity, promise and enterprise in music performance, creation, education, preservation and revitalisation in societies across the world in which Muslims have a significant presence.