Composers Harrison Birtwistle and George Benjamin were among the winners at this year’s Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) Music Awards.
The pair received prizes for chamber-scale composition and large-scale composition respectively at the event, which took place at the Dorchester Hotel in London on 13 May.
Harrison’s fifth RPS Music Award made him the most honoured musician in the history of the awards.
Other winners included conductor Daniel Barenboim and singer Joyce DiDonato.
John Gilhooly, chairman of the RPS, said: ‘2013 was a great year for classical music in the UK. It was a year when the grand anniversaries - the bicentenaries of Wagner and Verdi and the centenary of Benjamin Britten - were celebrated in style, and this is reflected in the list of winners this evening.
‘I often feel that classical music is underrated in this country, and whilst celebrating the success of a wonderful year, I think we should not be blasé. We need to say, loud and clear, that music matters, shout loudly about outstanding talent, great concerts, inspirational opportunities to participate in music - show how it makes a difference - and understand that inertia and complacency can be every bit as detrimental to culture as a challenging economic climate.’
The awards are presented in association with BBC Radio 3.
The full list of RPS Music Award winners is below;
Conductor – Daniel Barenboim
Singer – Joyce DiDonato
Instrumentalist – Patricia Kopatchinskaja
Ensemble – London Philharmonic Orchestra
Young Artists – Igor Levit
Large-Scale Composition – George Benjamin
Chamber-Scale Composition – Harrison Birtwistle
Opera and Music Theatre – Welsh National Opera
Chamber Music and Song – Champs Hill
Learning and Participation – Glyndebourne: Imago
Audiences and Engagement – Britten-Pears Foundation: Britten100
Concerts Series and Festivals – Southbank Centre: The Rest is Noise
Creative Communication – Touch Press
RPS Gold Medal – John Tomlinson
The pair received prizes for chamber-scale composition and large-scale composition respectively at the event, which took place at the Dorchester Hotel in London on 13 May.
Harrison’s fifth RPS Music Award made him the most honoured musician in the history of the awards.
Other winners included conductor Daniel Barenboim and singer Joyce DiDonato.
John Gilhooly, chairman of the RPS, said: ‘2013 was a great year for classical music in the UK. It was a year when the grand anniversaries - the bicentenaries of Wagner and Verdi and the centenary of Benjamin Britten - were celebrated in style, and this is reflected in the list of winners this evening.
‘I often feel that classical music is underrated in this country, and whilst celebrating the success of a wonderful year, I think we should not be blasé. We need to say, loud and clear, that music matters, shout loudly about outstanding talent, great concerts, inspirational opportunities to participate in music - show how it makes a difference - and understand that inertia and complacency can be every bit as detrimental to culture as a challenging economic climate.’
The awards are presented in association with BBC Radio 3.
The full list of RPS Music Award winners is below;
Conductor – Daniel Barenboim
Singer – Joyce DiDonato
Instrumentalist – Patricia Kopatchinskaja
Ensemble – London Philharmonic Orchestra
Young Artists – Igor Levit
Large-Scale Composition – George Benjamin
Chamber-Scale Composition – Harrison Birtwistle
Opera and Music Theatre – Welsh National Opera
Chamber Music and Song – Champs Hill
Learning and Participation – Glyndebourne: Imago
Audiences and Engagement – Britten-Pears Foundation: Britten100
Concerts Series and Festivals – Southbank Centre: The Rest is Noise
Creative Communication – Touch Press
RPS Gold Medal – John Tomlinson
