On July 14, the International Committee of Artists for Peace presented American music legend Quincy Jones with its Humanity in the Arts Peace Award at the world-renowned Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland. Festival founder and past ICAP award recipient Claude Nobs joined ICAP co-president and jazz legend Herbie Hancock in presenting the award to Mr. Jones, who was honored as part of a larger event commemorating his contributions to music over five decades.
Mr. Hancock read the award certificate, which acknowledged Mr. Jones as “an outstanding artist of conscience who has worked to dispel misery and injustice through the power of art and music, while building bonds of friendship and trust among people throughout the world.” Mr. Jones received a standing ovation from the more than 4,000 people in attendance. In his concluding remarks, Mr. Jones thanked Mr. Hancock, ICAP and its founder, Dr. Daisaku Ikeda.
ICAP also debuted its new exhibition “Artists as Mentors” at the festival. The exhibition highlights various artists who have led, and continue to lead, the way for others and underscores the importance of the relationship between mentor and protégé.
The main panel of the exhibition defines a mentor in this way: “A mentor is a trusted friend, a teacher, an experienced person who encourages us to do our best, to achieve more than we may believe we can. Many successful people give credit to key people who have helped them on their way. The mentor-protégé relationship is one of the most important in our lives.”
Dr. Daisaku Ikeda founded ICAP in 2002 to support the United Nations’ International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence for the Children of the World (2001-2010). The group—which includes jazz legends Mr. Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Larry Coryell and Buster Williams, Latin Grammy winner Nestor Torres and actor Patrick Duffy—supports humanistic nonviolence education for youth through dialogue and the unique power of the arts.
At the invitation of Carlos Santana, ICAP has collaborated since 2004 with the festival to present workshops, panel discussions and dialogues related to peace and the arts, including the exhibitions “Artists as Peacemakers” and “Building a Culture of Peace For the Children of the World.”
The new “Artists as Mentors” exhibition was displayed at Stravinski Hall, one of the most visible venues at the prestigious event held on the shores of Lake Léman. Mr. Nobs, the festival founder, expressed his gratitude to Dr. Ikeda and ICAP for their contributions to this year’s event—the 42nd since its inception in 1967. In celebration of the festival’s illustrious history, ICAP this year presented an additional exhibition that focused on festival highlights from 1967 to 2007.
Photo credits, top to bottom: Photo #1, Laurent Gilleron ©Montreux Jazz Festival Foundation, #2, Mike Nixon