ABO Classical Music Award winners announced!

The four winners of the 2024 ABO Classical Music awards were revealed at a live event held on the first night of the annual Association of British Orchestras (ABO) conference at Bristol Beacon yesterday (24 January). The refreshed awards celebrated the achievements of Scottish Ensemble, the Recruiting Classical consortium, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic’s Music & Health team and Manchester Camerata principal flute and resident music therapist, Amina Hussain.

The event, hosted by Classic FM’s Aled Jones, was the first presentation of the reimagined ABO Classical Music Awards, with recipients nominated by their peers throughout the industry. In a departure from previous years, during which Artist Manager, Concert Hall Manager and Orchestra Manager of the Year were names, this year’s awards recognised the initiatives, teams and individuals whose work demonstrated inspiration, innovation or collaboration.

Classical Music magazine editor Florence Lockheart said: ‘The last year has been undeniably tough, with funding cuts making it ever clearer that those in power could certainly benefit from a greater understanding of just how much orchestras and their music impact, not just audiences, but entire communities. Our award winners tonight represent just that, and stand as testament to the value of our sector and its members in supporting the vulnerable, addressing inequality, working towards a better future for our planet and much more besides.’

Scottish Ensemble was recognised for its leading work in using an evidence-based approach to environmental sustainability. A co-founder of the Scottish Classical Sustainability Group, emphasising the responsibility of the cultural sector in advocating for urgent change, Scottish Ensemble have shown how a smaller orchestra can inspire and lead a sector when it comes to sustainable touring and sustainability in the round.

The Recruiting Classical consortium of symphony and chamber orchestra leaders, in partnership with Black Lives in Music, was celebrated for their pioneering work in driving diversity and opportunity in recruitment. With a specific focus on supporting orchestral string players from the Global Majority, the project included an open and inclusive audition process, a series of workshops to develop audition experience and the formation of a shared extra list. An integral part of the initiative were musician-led Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Groups, ensuring their existing musicians were central to the project and continue to shape its future.

As one of the first to bring the impact of orchestral music to healthcare and communities, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic’s Music & Health team were recognised for being a leading example of how orchestras are relevant, accessible and impactful beyond the concert hall. A genuine collaboration between musicians, management, NHS partners and participants, the orchestra’s healthcare programme has supported over 18,000 people living with mental and physical ill health across the Liverpool City Region. Now in its 15th year, it is one of the longest continuously running Music and Health programmes working in partnership with the NHS.

Manchester Camerata’s Principal Flute and Resident Music Therapist, Amina Hussain was awarded an ABO Classical Music Award for demonstrating the unique power of music to improve lives. A professional concert musician and community leader, Hussain has been working with Manchester Camerata’s Music in Mind team delivering music-based therapy for people living with dementia, running weekly sessions for people with learning disabilities in a residential home and working with older adults to reduce isolation.

The ABO also celebrated the work of outgoing Bristol Beacon chief executive Louise Mitchell CBE with its annual ABO Award, voted by the ABO membership to recognise ‘the individual or institution considered by the membership to have made the most important contribution to the orchestral life of the UK.’