Sting, the music icon who has won multiple Grammy Awards and nominations, three Academy Award® nominations and one Golden Globe, will be honored with the coveted Ischia William Walton Music Legend Award in recognition of his lifetime achievements as a singer, actor and activist, it was announced here today. Past recipients include Burt Bacharach, Harry Belafonte, Luciano Pavarotti, Sheryl Crow, Gustavo Santaolalla and Andrea Bocelli.
Former front man for The Police, Sting is known for his high-pitched, raspy voice and is considered one of the most literate songwriters and musicians in the world.
This special award will be presented to Sting at the Regina Isabella Resort in Ischia, Italy on Sunday July 12th, during the opening night Gala of the Seventh Annual Ischia Global Film & Music Fest. Lady Susan Walton, along with Global Fest Chairman, the Academy Award®-winning writer and director Paul Haggis, the famous Italian music producer Tony Renis and the minister of Tourism and Cultural Assets – Campania Region will present the Award in behalf of the Ischia International Arts Academy.
Earlier that day, Sting and his wife Trudie Styler will be visiting the famous Garden de la Mortella, the long time Ischia residence of Sir William Walton, the legendary English composer and musician, where many members of the English royal family have been guests of Sir William and Lady Walton.
At a press conference here today at the Italian Pavilion on the Croisette, Pascal Vicedomini, founder and producer of the Festival said: “While this Prize honors the immortal genius of Sir William, it concurrently pays homage to the immense talent of Sting, a musical genius and a wonderful human being, whose diverse interests range from the magical dimension of his music to helping save the Brazilian Rainforests through the Rainforest Foundation which he and his wife Trudie established in 1989.”
“We are thrilled that he will be with us in Ischia to accept this award, and are delighted to further announce that two documentaries in which he is featured – All This Time (2001) and The Journey & The Labyrinth (2006)– will be shown as part of the Festival’s homage to this great entertainer,” Vicedomini added.
All This Time (by Jim Gable), which won two Primetime Emmy’s plus four additional Emmy nominations, features a behind the scenes and on-stage look at Sting in Italy performing more than a dozen favorites from every phase of his lengthy career including Don't Stand So Close to Me," "Every Breath You Take," and "Fragile.”
The Journey & The Labyrinth features Sting and world-renowned lutenist Edin Karamazov performing the music of Elizabethan composer John Dowland. The film magically interweaves captivating performances, interviews, historical information and readings of Dowland's personal correspondence that serve as a soundtrack to the Elizabethan composer's life. It also includes live material from St. Luke's Church in London where Sting performed selections from his acclaimed album "Songs From The Labyrinth" as well as adaptations of several of his most recognizable hits.
The non-profit Ischia International Arts Academy co-produces the Global Film & Music Fest with the Naples (Italy) Board of Tourism with the special support of the European Union, the Campania Region Board of Tourism and Cultural Assets and the D.G. Cinema - Italian Ministry of Culture.