And the winners are…
This year’s Royal Philharmonic Society Awards recipients
Chamber-scale Composition Laurence Osborn – TOMB! Osborn’s work is a tombeau – in which ‘a living artist honours a dead one by impersonating their voice’. Composed with ‘great admiration’ for the past, the piece also ‘questions the morbid obsessions of heritage culture’.
Conductor François-xavier Roth Principal guest conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra and founder of Les Siècles, which in 2023 celebrated its 20th birthday, Roth will become chief conductor of the SWR Symphonieorchester in 2025.
Ensemble BBC Singers
Following a high-profile 2023 campaign to save them from closure, the BBC Singers mark their 100th anniversary in 2024. The UK’S only full-time professional choir, they broadcast and commission regularly, and are frequent performers at the BBC Proms.
Impact
Call of the Mountains – Clare Johnston and Drake Music Scotland
A collaboration between musicians from Kazakhstan and Drake Music Scotland, Clare Johnston’s work features ipads and traditional kol-kobyz alongside violins, cello, flute, clarinet and piano.
Inspiration
Derwent Brass
This innovative and diverse Midlands ensemble aims to step beyond the bounds of the traditional brass band with its ambitious programming and wide-ranging repertoire – forged through strong relationships with its associate composers.
Large-scale Composition
Kaija Saariaho – Innocence
Jointly commissioned by the major opera companies of Amsterdam, Helsinki, San Francisco and London, the late Saariaho’s powerful work delves into the aftermath of a school shooting. The opera received its UK premiere in April 2023.
Opera and Music Theatre Chornobyldorf – Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival Focusing on the Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe, this work by Ukrainian composers Roman Grygoriv and Illia Razumeiko combines folk and classical singing with theatre, dance, cinema and unique musical instruments.
Series and Events
Manchester Classical
This collaborative Bridgewater Hall weekend celebrates Manchester’s heritage with performances from the Hallé, BBC Philharmonic, Manchester Camerata, Manchester Collective and many others.
Singer Nicky Spence, tenor
Awarded an OBE in the 2023 King’s Birthday Honours and winner of BBC Music Magazine’s 2022 Personality of the Year, the Scottish tenor makes regular appearances at the Royal Opera House and English National Opera, and has also made a splash on television.
Storytelling Quartet – Leah Broad This magnificent biography of four groundbreaking female composers – Ethel Smyth, Rebecca Clarke, Dorothy Howell and Doreen Carwithen – recounts ‘lives of rebellion, heartbreak and ambition’ and celebrates their musical achievements.
Young Artist
Lotte Betts-dean, mezzo-soprano
The Australian-born mezzo has established herself as a leading interpreter of contemporary repertoire and art song, and has premiered over 30 works. Passionate about curation and programming, she performed compositions by Ligeti, Crumb, Cage, Nono and Pärt during 2022-23.