Mustafa Said, renowned Egyptian Oud player and composer was officially announced winner of the prestigious Aga Khan award in Lisbon, Portugal on 31 March. The official honoring of the winners took place at a gala, where Said, the only Egyptian musician amongst the 14 finalists, was commended by jury member and founder of the revered experimental group Kronos Quartet, David Harrington, for "exceptional artistic achievement that embodies music’s traditional role as a source of spiritual enlightenment, moral inspiration and social cohesion." For the finals, Said performed a composition tailored for a 3,000-year-old Sufi poem, followed by a tribute piece to several Arab poets including Omar Khayyam and Khalil Gibran.