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Royal College of Music, 3 March 2020 |
Royal College of Music |
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HRH The Prince of Wales honours Sir Antonio Pappano, Jonas Kaufmann and other celebrated musicians at RCM ceremony
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HRH The Prince of Wales today made his annual President’s visit to the Royal
College of Music to confer honours to leading names in the international
music world, including Sir Antonio Pappano, Jonas Kaufmann, Debbie Wiseman
OBE and Rachel Portman OBE among many others.
In his 27th year as
President of the College, the Prince also explored the latest developments
in the RCM’s transformational More Music: Reimagining the Royal College of
Music project, which aims to build new facilities and improve existing
spaces, expand the RCM’s scholarship programme, research and digital
capabilities, and support the College’s outreach work.
Internationally acclaimed conductor and Music Director of the Royal Opera
House, Sir Antonio Pappano, received an Honorary Doctorate from the College.
Pappano has nurtured many former students as they progress from the RCM
Opera Studio on to the professional stage, with numerous students having
been accepted onto the Royal Opera House’s Jette Parker Young Artists
Programme in recent years. Next week, Pappano conducts the RCM Symphony
Orchestra in a sold-out concert of Ravel and Saint-Saëns which will be
broadcast live on the RCM website.
He commented: ‘I never would have
thought from taking my Grade 1 music exam as a youngster, that I’d one day
be receiving a doctorate from a world-renowned institution such as the Royal
College of Music. Having this honour bestowed on me is humbling yet brings
me such joy.’
Tenor Jonas Kaufmann also received an Honorary
Doctorate. Described by the New York Times as ‘the most important, versatile
tenor of his generation’, Kaufmann rose to fame through his spinto roles,
most notably at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. He has won four
Gramophone Awards for his operatic albums, of which Pappano conducted
Verismo Arias, which won the Recital Award in 2011.
Among those made
Fellows of the RCM were Music Director of English National Opera, Martyn
Brabbins; Grammy-nominated composer, Classic FM’s Composer in Residence and
RCM Visiting Professor Debbie Wiseman OBE; and Academy-Award-winning
composer Rachel Portman OBE. Portman was the first female composer to win an
Academy Award in the category of Best Musical or Comedy Score (for Emma in
1996). She was also the first woman to receive the Richard Kirk Award at the
BMI Film & TV Awards for her contributions to film and television music.
As part of the ceremony, HRH The Prince of Wales heard a musical
performance featuring some of the RCM’s exceptional students. Mezzo-soprano
Emily Sierra performed, having won the President's Award, as did
prize-winners harpist Bethan Griffiths, pianist Roelof Temmingh and
percussionist Jess Wood.
RCM Director Professor Colin Lawson said:
‘The President's visit is always a significant moment in the Royal College
of Music's calendar and this year we honour some exceptional musicians,
including some of the biggest names in the world of opera, and two of the
foremost film and TV composers of our generation. I hope our talented
students continue to be inspired by the wonderful musicians we honour each
year and aspire to reach similar heights of musical success.’
After
the ceremony, HRH The Prince of Wales explored the latest developments in
the multi-million-pound project to transform the RCM, including the
newly-built Royal College of Music Museum opening in summer 2020. He is
Patron of the More Music Campaign, which aims to strengthen the RCM as a
cultural venue of international significance and create a greatly enhanced
environment for students, professors, visiting musicians and the many
visitors the RCM attracts each year.
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