The 2025 Royal Philharmonic Society Awards took place in Birmingham last night (6 March) — you can see the full list of winners below.
The event — which counts PRS for Music among its Principal Supporters — was held at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, marking the first time that the RPS Awards has visited the West Midlands.
Celebrating classical music’s ‘vibrant vital impact, resonance and reach nationwide’, the 2025 RPS Awards saw the pioneering Paraorchestra, which brings together professional disabled and non-disabled musicians, take home the coveted Ensemble award. Belfast’s Open Arts Community Choir and its dedicated music director Beverley McGeown received the Inspiration award, which celebrates the UK’s non-professional ensembles and is the sole RPS Award voted for by the public.
Elsewhere, the Chamber-Scale Composition Award was awarded to Welsh composer Sarah Lianne Lewis for letting the light in, while NMC Recordings won the Gamechanger Award.
Speaking during last night’s ceremony, RPS Chair Angela Dixon said: ‘The RPS Awards have a story to tell about classical music-making in the UK today that is both inspiring and humbling. It’s a story of extraordinary musicians living extraordinary lives, giving the best of themselves and making a difference. Behind each of the awards tonight is a community of audiences, participants, and creative forces. We’re here this evening to recognise excellence in classical music in all of its forms and to celebrate the impact our sector is having on people in all walks of life.’
You can see the full list of winners from the 2025 RPS Awards below.
Chamber-Scale Composition
Sarah Lianne Lewis – letting the light in
Conductor
Kazuki Yamada
Ensemble
Paraorchestra
Gamechanger
NMC Recordings
Impact
Re:Discover Festival – Streetwise Opera
Inspiration
Open Arts Community Choir
Instrumentalist
Laura van der Heijden – cello
Large-Scale Composition
Katherine Balch – whisper concerto
Opera and Music Theatre
Death in Venice – Welsh National Opera
Series and Events
The Cumnock Tryst
Singer
Claire Booth – soprano
Storytelling
Classical Africa – BBC Radio 3
Young Artist
GBSR Duo
BBC Radio 3 will broadcast a special RPS Awards programme at 7:30pm today (7 March), which will be available for a further month on BBC Sounds. The 2025 RPS Awards will be freely available to watch for one month on the RPS website from 17 March.
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