Birmingham students attend the Royal Philharmonic Society Awards

 BMus Music student, Jessica Duckworth, attended the Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) 2025 Awards on behalf of the University of Birmingham.

Jessica shared her review of the ceremony with us here:

It was an honour to attend the Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) Awards on behalf of the University of Birmingham. Not only was I immensely impressed by the talent on display, but I was also delighted to see such diversity was shown among the nominees and ensembles, too. From a disabled orchestra, Paraorchestra, to the group, Streetwise Opera, which helps homeless individuals find their voice through opera, so many amazing people came together to celebrate classical music, creating a truly special evening.

As a final year BMus Music student, I tried hard to soak everything about this evening in, including the fact it was finally in Birmingham and was so easy to get to! The rich musical history that Birmingham has to offer was clearly on display throughout the evening, with a montage of clips of the city’s musical life, past and present. This included universities, performing arts centre,s and professional groups. It was fantastic to see our University Music ensembles included in this video, showcasing the vast talent that the university has to offer and how it plays such an integral part in the city’s music scene. The Head of the University Music and Concerts Team, Jo Sweet, was on the judging panel for one of the awards too, demonstrating this even more.

Birmingham nominees included the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) Music Director, Kazuki Yamada (who won the ‘Conductor’ category), Birmingham Opera Company (nominated for the ‘Opera and Music Theatre’ category), Ex Cathedra’s Signing Medicine programme (nominated for the ‘Impact’ award), and the CBSO Chorus who were nominated for the ‘Ensemble’ category. Several candidates studied in Birmingham and have deep connections to the city’s music scene, demonstrating how versatile and vibrant Birmingham is and how it has such an impact on the UK’s music life.

The way RPS structured the evening meant I was able to mix with world-class musicians and form connections with people whom I never thought I would be able to. We had the pleasure of listening to students from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, where the event took place, opening the awards ceremony and also award nominees perform in between categories. The talent on display was impressive, and every nominee had a short video shown before the grand reveal, highlighting why they were nominated and why they all deserved to win. This really made the evening and, as an aspiring musician, it was so nice to be able to see the nominated ensemble/person in their element.

One stand-out candidate for me was Charlotte Corderoy, nominated for the ‘Young Artist’ award. As an aspiring female conductor myself, I found it so compelling to see such a talented female conductor being nominated for an award. I also found it inspiring to meet a long-time role model of mine, Sir James MacMillan. I have always admired his compositions and conducting career, and I appreciated the time he took to speak to me about my aspirations and future plans.

The presenters Jess Gillam and Tom McKinney brought flare to the evening with their jokes. The pair, who both present on BBC Radio 3, elevated the night and made the concert-style awards night a fun and relaxed evening to attend.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time and was so humbled to be able to talk to such distinguished musicians throughout the evening on behalf of the University.

University Music provides the University of Birmingham with one of the liveliest music-making scenes of any campus. With around 1500 positions available in our 35-plus ensembles, members participate in a variety of instrumental and vocal groups, across a range of abilities and styles. University Music is open to students, staff, and the local community, and provides participants with opportunities for professional coaching, exceptional concerts, and also offers scholarships for incoming students to the University.

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