Mr. Philippe Bender, conductor and artistic director of the Cannes-Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Regional Orchestra, was the recipient of the PAM Prize for Dialogue in recognition of his exceptional contribution to the promotion of dialogue between the cultures of the Mediterranean through the universal medium of music and the active participation of the youth in the region. His work with the Orchestre des Jeunes de la Méditerranée Provence-Alpes- Côte d’Azur (OJMPACA) directly serves to pursue the objectives of using music to service Mediterranean dialogue. The organization gives talented a professional experience in the life of a concert orchestra to young musicians from the region and the Mediterranean basin with dreams of developing a musical career.

Mr. Bender is also the artistic director and head conductor of the Balearic Islands Symphonic Orchestra in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. He regularly directs the National Orchestra of Spain, and in 1970, was awarded the gold medal in the prestigious Dmitri Mitropoulos International Music Competition in New York.

The PAM Prize was created with the aim of acknowledging and rewarding “individuals, organisations and institutions who have demonstrated through their work strong and visible commitment, outstanding achievement and active promotion of the Mediterranean ideals, as envisioned by the statutes and mission statement of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean”.