Malcom Yepa Receives State’s Highest Arts Award: Platinum Music Award
Recognized for his significant contributions to the musical culture of New Mexico, Malcom Yepa received the Platinum Music Award from New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham — the State of New Mexico's highest honor bestowed upon the music industry for lifetime achievement.
“The model [for the presentation show] is closer to the Kennedy Center awards rather than the Grammys...”
The New Mexico Music Commission’s Platinum Music Awards is much more than a hall of fame for the state’s exceptional musicians. Only a handful of musicians, educators, and promoters have been recognized for a lifetime of making and supporting music in the state. A sixth award, designated as the Lee Berk Foundation Award, honors an individual or organization for inspiring and facilitating musicians and performance. All awardees received a medallion engraved with their names and a framed, glass-encased certificate signed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.
About the New Mexico Music Commission
The New Mexico Music Commission (NMMC) was created by Executive Order of Governor Bill Richardson in 2005, and later codified into state law by the New Mexico Legislature in 2009. The commission consists of a cross-section of New Mexico citizens representing all facets of New Mexico’s unique and diverse music industry, while embracing and reflecting all musical genres gracing the state’s multicultural tableau. Its mission is “to protect, promote, and preserve the musical traditions of New Mexico, to foster appreciation of the value of music, and to encourage the educational, creative and professional musical activities of the residents of New Mexico.”
Platinum Music Awards Show 2018 Highlight featuring award recipient Malcom Yepa and Black Eagle Singers Powwow drum and dance group