Page 31 - RPS Awards 2024 Coverage Book

London to be the UK’s leading city of the arts. Priced from an inclusive £10, The RNCM will
host the event, opening the doors for a broader demographic to enjoy the experience.

The nominees boast a plethora of musical talent across the UK, including Scottish
contenders: Drake Music Scotland, Glasgow Madrigirls and tenor Nicky Spence, as well as

pianist Pavel Kolesnikov, trumpeter Aaron Azunda Akugbo and conductor François-Xavier
Roth, who audiences will recognise from last year’s BBC Proms.

Diversity is represented across the board, with 42% of the shortlisted performers and

composers representing the global majority. Performers and composers include Cellist
Ayanna Witter-Johnson, Birmingham Opera Company’s Alpesh Chauhan, and sitar player
Jasdeep Singh Degun. Ben Lunn's composition ‘History needs…’ and Drake Music

Scotland's ‘Call of the Mountains’ celebrate disability within music and have each earned
nominations.

In addition to the big names, the event will also include the ‘Inspiration Award’, aimed at

amateur groups and decided by public vote. RPS Chief Executive James Murphy expressed
his excitement on the awards being held in Manchester, saying ‘We’re so pleased to be taking

the Royal Philharmonic Society Awards out of the capital for the very first time’ … ‘classical
music pulses through the city’s veins’.