WOMEX 2012 Professional Excellence Award Goes to Alexander Cheparukhin

World Music organization WOMEX announced today the winner of the WOMEX 2012 Professional Excellence Award. The award goes to Alexander “Sasha” Cheparukhin from Russia.

Mr. Cheparukhin will receive his Award on Sunday morning, October 21 st, 2012, at the WOMEX Award Ceremony accompanied by a WOMEX Networking Breakfas. Both events are open to WOMEX delegates only. The laudation will be offered by Lemez Lovas (UK), Producer, Lyricist, and Artist.

“The WOMEX Award for Professional Excellence is not just a small way to give praise to someone who deserves recognition at the highest level for a lifelong contribution to our community,” says Lemez Lovas. “It is also an opportunity for us at WOMEX to think about the values that we try to uphold. In honour of this turbulent past twelve months – in which not one of our countries has been untouched by social and political tensions – the Award this year goes to someone who underlines those values that we at WOMEX seek to uphold – a deep awareness and respect for our environment, a constant desire to expand boundaries, and an unfailing dedication to freedom of expression on every level.”

“Artistic director, activist, musician and tour producer Alexander “Sasha” Cheparukhin was born in Sevastopol, USSR (now Ukraine) in 1958,” adds Lovas. “He has had three distinct careers: as an environmental activist, as a journalist and as a music professional. His activities have ranged from leading the Association for the Support of Ecological Initiatives; leading demonstrations at Soviet nuclear power plants; interviewing Boris Yeltsin and reporting from inside the White House in the 1993 siege; managing Huun Huur Tu and leading them on tours worldwide; commissioning international collaborations for leading Russian artists like the Pokrovsky Ensemble; helping the city of Perm to transform its international reputation in an unprecedented dedication to cultural activity; and staging concerts supporting freedom of expression in some of Russia’s most rigid political environments.”

WOMEX 2012 takes place in Thessaloniki (Greece) during October 17 – 21, 2012.