The New Orleans-based Zone Music Reporter will stage the 11th Annual ZMR Music Awards at the Joy Theater on Saturday, May 9th. The evening's highlight will be honoring Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Peter Kater. Multiple award-winning and chart-topping artists will be on-hand to present awards to their peers, including Al Conti, Joseph Akins, Darlene Koldenhoven, and Paul Avgerinos.

New Orleans -- Zone Music Reporter (ZMR) has announced Peter Kater as its Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, along with an impressive lineup of presenters for its 11th Annual ZMR Music Awards, a concert and awards event at The Joy Theater in New Orleans, on Saturday, May 9, 2015 at 8 pm.

The event is open to the public, welcoming music lovers from across the globe, as well as local residents who may prefer quieter music than that of the city's famous Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest events. The resonant voice of KTEP-FM's Jamey Osborne, the host of the Audiosyncracy podcast and radio show, will be the master of ceremonies for the night, which will include hours of live performances by myriad ZMR and GRAMMY® award-winning artists. See the original event announcement and images at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2015/02/prweb12542170.htm.

ZMR (www.zonemusicreporter.com) is a New Orleans-based service company that reports music airplay and publishes monthly charts covering New Age, World, Ambient, Electronic, Solo Piano, Relaxation, Instrumental and many other genres of music. In an unprecedented announcement, ZMR owners Daryl Portier and Ben Dugas revealed the recipient of its most esteemed award of the year, Peter Kater, who will be honored with the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award. Additionally, this year's guest presenters are popular and renowned award-winning artists representing a range of music genres, including Joseph Akins (A Southern Pianist), Darlene Koldenhoven (Tranquil Times), Paul Avgerinos (Bhakti), Al Conti (The Blue Rose). Two highly-respected music writers, Bill Binkelman and RJ Lannan, will join in presenting some of the awards.

Kater, who will attend the ceremonies, commented, "I'm very honored to receive this award from ZMR. ZMR provides a valuable platform for creative instrumentalists to be heard, acknowledged and inspired by their peers, the media and the national & international music community."

Kater's "angelic" vocalist and business partner, Trisha Bowden of Mysterium Music added, "Peter was speechless when I first told him. He then said he felt deeply moved by this honor. He never, ever thought he would be considered for a Lifetime Achievement Award. He has flown under the radar for so long....but he is overjoyed that ZMR has recognized his dedication to decades of following his musical muse."

Peter Kater is a multi-platinum selling Pianist/Composer and a leading innovator of contemporary instrumental music for over 3 decades. He's received many awards and accolades for his rich and diverse music including 10 GRAMMY® Award nominations. A prolific composer, he's released over 60 critically-acclaimed recordings and has scored the music for over 100 television and film productions including 11 On- & Off-Broadway dramatic plays. From solo piano and contemporary jazz ensembles to full orchestral works, his music is heard all over the world, crossing many genres from the Olympics, the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall to the treatment rooms of hundreds of thousands of massage and healing practitioners. He is known for his many groundbreaking collaborations with musicians such as Native American flutist R. Carlos Nakai, Tibetan flutist Nawang Khechog, Sting guitarist Dominic Miller and Sacred Chantress Snatam Kaur.
Also, as an avid environmentalist and humanitarian, Peter is a proud recipient of the Environment Leadership Award from the United Nations. www.peterkater.com

Nominations for the genre-specific awards were announced on Sunday February 15th, and voting for category finalists opened on Monday, February 23rd. The ZMR Music Awards are a hugely popular event amongst music industry professionals. A great many recording artists, performers, radio promoters, producers and a slew of industry executives travel from all corners of the globe to attend the weekend-long celebration, which has joined with InterContinental New Orleans as its official hotel partner this year. The 2014 event was an overwhelming success, turning into a four-day triumph, and this year promises to be bigger and brighter than ever, with multiple networking and social events rounding out the weekend.

For over a decade, Zone Music Reporter has been establishing itself as the premier resource for the best in New Age, World, Electronic/Ambient and Instrumental music. New Orleans' Joy Theater has become the spiritual home of the yearly ZMR Music Awards. Winners will be announced live in New Orleans on May 9th, 2015; the awards are interspersed with live concert performances, beginning at 7:00pm. There are thirteen categories voted on by Radio Programmers and DJs this year, including Album of the Year, Best New Artist, Best Piano Solo, Best Acoustic, Best Ambient, Best Chill/Groove Album, Best World Album, and many more. For a complete list of categories and nominees, go to http://www.zonemusicreporter.com/admin/nominees.asp

Portier says it's an exciting time for both the ZMR team and the music community as a whole, adding, "Out of the hundreds of recordings released each year, very few get recognized and some will never be. We set out to change that by dedicating an entire weekend to the industry and to give these artists the recognition they so rightfully deserve. Many artists meet their fellow musicians for the first time, spontaneous collaborations occur, there's a great sense of satisfaction in knowing your art has worth and meaning to the masses. In addition, you get to see one hell of a concert."

A sampling of performances from recent ZMR Award Shows can be viewed on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqm1YYmYl9tN8U3JvxXS68w

For more information about the event and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Daryl Portier or Ben Dugas at ZoneMusicReporter.com, 504-237-6368 (Daryl), 504-237-6367 (Ben), or email zonemusicreporter(at)yahoo(dot)com.

Links:
Event Website: http://zonemusicreporter.com/admin/Awards_show.asp
Peter Kater – www.PeterKater.com
Joseph Akins – www.Josephakins.com
Darlene Koldenhoven – www.DarleneKoldenhoven.com
Paul Avgerinos – www.roundskymusic.com
Al Conti – www.alconti.net

About ZMR:
Zone Music Reporter, formerly New Age Reporter, is the Industry Source for radio airplay reports for a myriad of different musical styles. ZMR tracks radio airplay of both terrestrial and internet broadcast radio stations reporting their airplay from around the world. The site features a weekly broadcaster playlists, monthly airplay charts, album reviews, and annual awards as voted upon by the international programmers. ZMR is the premier Record Charting site for radio airplay reports in the New Age, World, Solo Piano, Acoustic Instrumental, Ambient, Celtic, Chill, Contemporary Instrumental, Electronic, Folk, Jazz, Meditative/Healing, Neo-Classical, Native American, Relaxation, and Instrumental genres.