10/14/2025
Important Announcement!
Dear AAMF Followers,
I am thrilled to announce that the Program Committee Members have reached a unanimous agreement and finalized their decision in selecting the winners of the Building Musical Bridges through Research and Uniting Scholars Conference, held in memory of the late Dr. Aida Huseynova. They have carefully read and evaluated all submitted research papers. After thoughtful discussion and long deliberation, they decided to split the Aida Huseynova Prize between the first-, second, and third-place winners among our conference participants. It was not an easy task—there were many strong and original submissions—yet the jury selected the very best of the best.
We warmly congratulate the winners:
First Prize and Best Aida Huseynova Paper Award:
Rena Fakhradova – The Exchange and Interaction between Non-Western and Western Music in Connection to Azerbaijani Mugham
Tina Mohandas – Global Flows, Local Lenses: Articulating Belonging through Azerbaijani Hip-Hop
Second Prize and Best Aida Huseynova Paper Award:
Alexandria Sultan von Bruseldorff – Preserving Authenticity Through Innovation: Acoustic and Physiological Research on Azerbaijani Mugham Singers
Humay Ahmadova – Unoriented Orientalism, Accidentally Occidental, Or Just the New Music of Azerbaijan?
Third Prize and Best Aida Huseynova Paper Award:
Aleksei Rumiantsev — Invented Loyalty: Chuvash Recruit Songs between Folkloric Heritage and Military Propaganda
Behrang Nikaeen – Azerbaijani Estrada: Musical Form, Sociocultural Connotation, and Political Function
Honorable Mention and Best Aida Huseynova Paper Award:
Polina Dessiatnichenko – Phenomenology of Listening to Bayati Shiraz.
On behalf of the Program Committee and the Azerbaijan-American Music Foundation, we would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to you all.
At the same time, we would like to emphasize that those who did not receive an award should be proud of their work. The competition was truly inspiring and highly competitive, and every contribution added meaningful depth to our shared scholarly dialogue.
Thank you all for your dedication to advancing music research and for honoring the legacy of Aida Huseynova through your scholarship and creativity.
Dr. Jamila Javadova-Spitzberg
on behalf of the AAMF board and the Conference Program Committee Members