Sought-after viola player Timothy Ridout was presented with the Concerto award for his recording of Elgar’s Viola Concerto and Bloch's Suite for Viola and Orchestra. Gramophone described this recording as ‘peerless’, adding: '…it seems unlikely that either of this recording’s performances will be surpassed by anyone anytime soon.' Timothy was recently appointed Visiting Professor of Music at the Academy which will see him return to the Academy to coach students.

Fellow alumni conductor Edward Gardner and singers Jennifer France and Claire Barnett-Jones won the Opera category award for their recording with the London Philharmonic Orchestra of Tippett’s The Midsummer Marriage. Edward is the Sir Charles Mackerras Chair of Conducting and we look forward to welcoming him back to the Academy later this term for a concert featuring Andrea Tarrodi’s Zephyros and Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony with the Academy Symphony Orchestra.

We would like to extend a special congratulations to Dame Felicity Lott who was recognised with the Lifetime Achievement Award. One of the world’s leading sopranos, Felicity came to the Academy in 1969 and now returns regularly to coach the next generation of artists in her role as Visiting Professor for Vocal Studies and Opera. Her professional career has seen her become one of the world’s most celebrated singers.

'Some singers are revered, others are loved, and it is fair to say that Dame Felicity belongs in the second group. While she had the fine vocal technique and authority on stage that might have invited reverence, it is the warmth of her performances – ‘humanity’ seems the right word – that one remembers above all.'

Richard Fairman, Gramophone Magazine

On the evening alumnus and Visiting Professor, pianist Yevgeny Sudbin performed an arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s Waltz of the Flowers in celebration of Academy collaborator BIS Records, who won label of the year.

Academy alumni permeate all areas of the music profession, and lead the way in concert halls, opera houses and theatres across the globe. We are hugely proud of the breadth and diversity of their careers, and the significant contribution our alumni make to the music profession and beyond. Discover their stories in the Alumni section of our website.