Page 74 - RPS Awards 2023 Coverage Book

Gilhooly’s industry audience was always going to be on side, but the effect was
still uplifting.

This from Gilhooly’s speech was particularly striking.

“The arts are central to the international standing, character and well being of
the nation and bring in over £110 billion annually to the economy. Looking
elsewhere: Berlin – a single city – gets cultural funding of around 600 million
euros, while the annual ACE budget is £428 million. Charlotte Higgins aptly
called this funding a thin gruel that organisations are forced to beg for. And we
all remember ‘Eat Out To Help Out’ that subsidised restaurants during the
pandemic. That cost some £849 million for one month alone. If any
government, current or future, addresses the awful cost of living crisis by
subsidising the hospitality sector, the arts should get a similar deal. At the
very least, the government could look for new tax incentives which would
encourage individual donors to give more effectively to causes they love.”

An affordable ticket price made it possible for the RPS to attract its largest
audience ever, which many attendees said was critical to their decision to
attend. A wide range of industry representatives attended the event, which
provided a glimpse into what goes into creating compelling concert
experiences. And it was a warm atmosphere too, familiar faces and old friends
side by side cheering on nominees and winners alike. A pseudo-networking
event with a polished presentation from presenters Dr Hannah French and
Petroc Trelawny from BBC Radio 3, giving classical music a bit of pizazz. The
entire evening serving up potent reminders of a year packed full of
memorable experiences.

Shortlist of nominations for each award listed below.

Full list of winners, plus video catchup (available from 9 March) and
John Gilhooly’s headline speech available via the RPS website.

Award Shortlist

Chamber-Scale Composition Bára Gísladóttir – Animals of your pasture
supported by Boosey & Hawkes in Ben Nobuto – Serenity 2.0
memory of Tony Fell Thomas Adès – Alchymia

Conductor Karina Canellakis
Martyn Brabbins
Robert Ames