Master jury

Jean During is a renowned ethnomusicologist whose expertise spans the musical cultures of Iran and Greater Central Asia, from Azerbaijan to the Uyghurs of Xinjiang. Recently retired from his position as Senior Research Fellow at France’s Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Jean During has published over a dozen books, dozens of articles and book chapters, and more than fifty CDs featuring his own field recordings of classical, cultivated, and spiritual musical traditions performed by leading masters. Jean During is himself an accomplished musician, and performs at a professional level on the Iranian tar and the Baluchi sorud. As a scholar and performer, his focus has been on the role of music in spiritual and therapeutic practices. He has also been active as an organiser of concerts, concert tours, and cultural tourism focusing on music and musicians.

Salima Hashmi is one of the most influential and well-respected artists and curators in Pakistan. Besides being an accomplished painter, she also runs her own art gallery, which features the work of young artists. She taught at the prestigious National College of Arts (NCA) in Lahore, Pakistan, for more than thirty years and served as its principal for four years. She is the former Dean of the School of Visual Arts and Design at the Beaconhouse National University, Lahore. Salima Hashmi comes from a socially and politically active family. Her father was the legendary Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz, and her mother, the British-born Alys Faiz was a respected journalist and peace activist in Pakistan. One of two daughters, Salima was always active in the arts, performing in plays before taking on painting professionally. She studied at the National College of Arts, the Bath Academy of Art, and the Rhode Island School of Design. In 1999, Salima Hashmi received Pakistan’s Pride of Performance award.