Page 72 - RPS Awards 2024 Coverage Book

Before we head to Oxford Road for the big night, we jumped at the
chance to catch up with RPS Chief Executive James Murphy, who

it’s fair to say has led something of a revolution around the awards.

James was acutely aware of the potentially elitist perception of both

the Royal Philharmonic Society - and it’s glitzy award night, when

he became Chief Exec in 2018:

“The RPS as an entity has always done various things to recognise

excellence and support musicians in different ways, but recognising
excellence first took the form of an awards ceremony in the 1980s.

At that point, it was a very deluxe VIP experience at the Dorchester

Ballroom. Most of us couldn't afford a ticket, because back then
they cost around two hundred pounds.

“When I came to run the RPS myself in 2018, we looked closely at
everything about the charity - and we asked the question - ‘What

are awards for?’ They’re an opportunity to shine a light on really

great things that are happening in any particular realm, so it
seemed to me that to conceal that from the world and to do it in a

place where only a very exalted few could go and experience it

didn’t seem right.

“These awards are celebrating a whole range of things nationally.

There are categories for the best singer or the best instrumentalist,
but a lot of categories are for ventures that are happening specific

to localities and specific to particular areas. I’ve been really aware

of the importance and scope of telling a national story about music,
not just about what’s going on in the capital.

“It just seems to me that we should take this ceremony into civic
spaces. We did it at Battersea Art Centre in 2019 - and since then

we’ve tried to inhabit concert hall-type spaces and made tickets the

same price as a concert ticket or cheaper if we can.”