hcmf// shortlisted for prestigious RPS award

The prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Awards have been given annually since 1989 for live classical music-making in the UK.

hcmf// is delighted that the 2019 edition of the festival has been shortlisted for the RPS Award in the Concert Series and Events category, which recognises excellence in ‘a concert series, festival or unique event which, through imaginative programming and presentation, draws fresh interest to a facet of classical music’.

Against the backdrop of the devastating impact that Covid-19 has had on the music industry and the wider arts sector, the RPS Awards are a timely opportunity to shout about why classical music matters. For countless musicians, artists and composers nationwide, their entire livelihoods vanished as lockdown began – and it’s still uncertain as to when live performing arts will be able to return and what the cultural landscape will look like when it does.

But in such times, we need music more than ever and the Royal Philharmonic Society Awards celebrate the treasured role that classical music plays in our lives. This year’s virtual ceremony will serve as ‘a reminder both of the great musical feats achieved before lockdown – of the kind that await us again when all this is over – and also of the truly inventive ways musicians have raised our hopes and kept us smiling in lockdown.’

Commenting on hcmf// being shortlisted, the festival’s Artistic Director Graham McKenzie said: “To be shortlisted for an RPS Award is always going to be hugely exciting and an amazing honour – but for it to happen in the current climate holds extra meaning for me and the whole hcmf// team. Having spent recent months working out how to create and present the 2020 edition of hcmf// as a mix of online performances, broadcast concerts and limited-access installations, this is a great reminder of our role in striving to provide artists and composers with vital opportunities to create, collaborate and perform – and enabling our audiences to access their work – no matter what the challenges.”

All of the winners will be announced in a special RPS Awards Presentation on Wednesday 18 November, on https://royalphilharmonicsociety.org.uk

For more information visit http://hcmf.co.uk/