19th October 2022

The Up­beat wins the in­ter­na­tional YAMawards

in the category Best Participatory Project with young audiences.

The Upbeat, the children's and young people's composition award held annually in Harpa, received the international YAMawards or The Young Audiences Music Awards as the Best Participatory project for young people yesterday. The YAM Awards honor the creativity and innovation in music production of young people from all over the world - from soloists to bands and everything in between.

The award ceremony took place in Bruges, Belgium yesterday, Tuesday, October 18, 2022. Elfa Lilja Gísladóttir, The Upbeat's project manager, and Ása Briem, business manager in Harpa's music department, accepted the award.

Elfa Lilja Gísladóttir, The Upbeat´s project manager.

"Receiving the YAMaward is a great recognition for us at The Upbeat. The Upbeat has grown and prospered with all the great artists involved in the project - not to mention the kids who have been able to send us their ideas and trusted us to deliver them at a concert in Harpa. This award shows and proves how valuable it is to bring together young people and working artists and give the kids a chance. Harpa opens up the house - the house we have together and it's so great".

"The Upbeat is an extremely important project that Harpa is proud to lead. Children's culture and children's relationship with music is a priority issue at Harpa, and we would welcome an increase in the number of partners among municipalities with the aim that compositions by children and young people from all over the country can have the chance to be selected for The Upbeat. Awards like this are grateful recognition and encouragement to the many people who contribute to this great project," says Svanhildur Konráðsdóttir, CEO of Harpa. The Upbeat is organized by Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre in collaboration with Reykjavík Children's Culture Festival, Reykjavík Music City, RÚV and the Iceland Academy of the Arts. In collaboration with The Upbeat are also the Music Center of Austurland, The Municipality of Kópavogur, Seltjarnarnes and Garðabær, Borgarbyggð, and Akureyri Culture Company. With The Upbeat, young people in grades 5-10 are encouraged to compose music, and those who advance take part in a music workshop with creative music media students at the Iceland University of the Arts, in addition to working on arrangements under the guidance of students from the Composition Department. After this process, the new composition is performed in concert and preserved by recording.

More about The Upbeat.

Frét­tir