Page 63 - FINAL_RPS Awards 2021 Coverage Book_Full (2)

29 September 2021

People, ensembles and projects who have made a strong contribution to
music and the arts this year: the Royal Philharmonic Society Awards shortlist
Labels: music news, RPS

Ravel's L’enfant et les sortilèges from Vopera - on the RPS Awards shortlist

The shortlist for the 2021 Royal Philharmonic Society Awards is upon us, and this year the awards
reflects very much the spirit of the last year with a new Inspiration Award to celebrate non-
professional ensembles who have kept communities connected through the pandemic, and which will
be decided by public vote.

There are eleven categories in all, full of people and ensembles who have made a strong contribution
to music and the arts in the last year. The shortlist for the new Inspiration Award has a striking list of
names, Aberdeen and Phoenix Saxophone Orchestras, Aldworth Philharmonic Orchestra, Berkshire,
Hilary Campbell and Bristol Choral Society, Orkney Winter Choir and Orkney Camerata, South Wales
Gay Men’s Chorus, Themba Mvula and Lichfield Gospel Choir.

The Opera Award shortlist features ENO's Drive & Live: La Boheme, Opera Holland Park [see my
reviews of this Summer's operas] and Vopera's innovative on-line version of Ravel's L’enfant et les
sortilèges [see my article]. The Young Artist shortlist features horn player Ben Goldscheider [who
brought out an innovative centenary tribute to Dennis Brain earlier this year, see my review], contralto
Jessica Dandy [who we have been catching a lot on-line] and the Hermes Experiment.

The Singer shortlist features soprano Elizabeth Llewellyn [see my review of her terrific recent
Wigmore Hall recital], tenor Nicky Spence [see my review of his performance of Janacek's Diary of
One Who Disappeared at Opera Holland Park] and mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnston, the
Instrumentalist shortlist features cellist Abel Selaocoe, oboist Nicholas Daniel and violinist Nicola
Benedetti. All amazing names and difficult to select individual winners.