Page 45 - Final_RPS Awards 2020 Media Coverage Book
P. 45
18 November 2020
Composer John Williams and cellist Sheku
Kanneh-Mason win coveted awards at 2020
Royal Philharmonic Society Awards
John Williams was celebrated for introducing millions to orchestral music.
RPS
Awards
Author: Jon Jacob
Composer John Williams has won the coveted Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal at
the RPS Awards 2020. Williams was celebrated for introducing millions to orchestral music.
The RPS Gold Medal is one of the highest honours in music, recognising outstanding
musicianship since 1870.
The society said that the awards celebrated a composer's life and work which had been
dedicated to ensuring orchestral music continues to speak to and captivate millions of
people worldwide.
Accepting the medal via video, Williams said:
"For any composer to be able devote his or her life entirely to the composition of music is
very fortunate indeed. I’d like to thank our musicians of our great orchestras in London and
in the United States with whom I’ve worked so happily for so many years."
Director Steven Spielberg, with whom Williams has frequently collaborated, sent his
congratulations in a video recorded especially for the RPS, saying:
