Congratulations to all the winners at the 2024 RPS Awards, and a special mention for Jasdeep Singh Degun, the first Indian Classical musician to receive the Instrumentalist award

Jasdeep Singh Degun at the RPS Awards 2024 (Photo: Robin Clewley)

Congratulations to everyone who was involved in last night's Royal Philharmonic Society Awards in Manchester, both the winners and all those terrific names who were nominated. A significant highlight was the Opera and Music Theatre Award, awarded to Ukrainian composers Illia Razumeiko and Roman Grigoriv for their opera Chornobyldorf and they travelled specially from Ukraine for the event. 

Sitarist Jasdeep Singh Degun received the Instrumentalist award. The first Indian Classical musician and the first sitarist to receive this award. Degun was also shortlisted for the Opera award and the Large-scale composition award.

Leah Broad received the Storytelling award for her book Quartet, about  Doreen Carwithen, Dorothy Howell, Ethel Smyth and Rebecca Clarke. Composer Laurence Osborn received the Chamber-scale Composition award for TOMB! written for GBSR Duo and 12 Ensemble. 

Kaija Saariaho received the Large-scale composition award for her final opera, Innocence. Whilst this award is understandable, it seems something of a disappointment to all those composers who wrote fine, large-scale works that are not operas. That two of the four shortlisted works in this category this year were operas seems a mistake.

Lotte Betts-Dean received the Young Artist Award.  Nicky Spence received the Singer award for the remarkable breadth of his work from the BBC Proms and Welsh National Opera to nurturing young talent at Blackheath Halls and Scottish Opera. François-Xavier Roth received the Conductor award, hilighting his work uniting modern and historical practice with the London Symphony Orchestra and his ensemble Les Siècles. 

The BBC Singers received the Ensemble award, reflecting the astonishing quality, style and imagination of their performances. Sara Lee and the Irene Taylor Trust received the Gamechanger award for their creative projects in prisons and their powerful presence in communities. Clare Johnston and Drake Music Scotland received the Impact award for their collaboration, Call to the Mountains, a ground-breaking creative exchange with Kazakhstan’s Eegeru ensemble.

Derwent Brass received the Inspiration award for a non-professional ensemble, Manchester Classical received the Series and Events award.

Full details from the RPS website.