Sir Karl Jenkins presented with prize at world première performance of Symphonic Adiemus

Prestigious Sir Charles Groves award presented to one of the world’s most performed living composers

Barbara Eifler (Executive Director of Making Music) presented the 2016 Sir Charles Groves Prize to Sir Karl Jenkins at a concert on Friday (29 September) featuring world première performances of excerpts from his work Symphonic Adiemus.

The award was presented at the Royal Festival Hall during the first of three performances, conducted by Sir Karl himself (at the Royal Festival Hall in London, Symphony Hall in Birmingham, and Bridgewater Hall in Manchester) of the new work alongside fan-favourite The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace.

One of the most performed living composers in the world, Sir Karl Jenkins’ prolific career spans the music worlds of classic, jazz, advertising and film. In 2015 he was confirmed as the most popular living composer in Classic FM’s 'Ultimate Hall of Fame'.

The Board of Making Music was unanimous and enthusiastic in selecting Sir Karl Jenkins for this award, given the accessibility and enormous popularity of his works with leisure-time choirs in particular up and down the country, introducing new generations of performers and their audiences to ground-breaking work from a living composer.

“It is with great pride that I accept the prestigious Sir Charles Groves Prize for 2016. In these difficult times for music subsidy, and governmental indifference, Making Music does a huge amount of work in supporting and promoting this aspect of the nation’s cultural life. I feel honoured to have been asked.”

Sir Karl Jenkins

“Making Music is delighted to be recognising Sir Karl Jenkins fantastic contribution to music with our prestigious Sir Charles Groves Prize. Many of our music groups find not only that his music speaks to them, but that it is accessible and allows them to engage with new music and issues in today’s society. Sir Karl’s music transcends traditional genre classifications and brings communities together, which is very much in the spirit of what our members do, week in, week out, across the UK.”

Barbara Eifler, Making Music Executive Director

The Sir Charles Groves Prize is awarded bi-annually by Making Music to an individual or organisation that has made an outstanding contribution to the cultural life of the UK, with past recipients including Sir Colin Davies, Gareth Malone and the Glastonbury Festival of Performing Arts. The award was established in 1990 in honour of the lauded English conductor Sir Charles Groves who, along with his wife Lady Hilary Groves, gave exceptional support to Making Music during his lifetime.

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For more information contact Ollie Mustill, Marketing and Communications Manager at ollie@makingmusic.org.uk, 020 7939 6038

Making Music, 8 Holyrood Street, London SE1 2EL.
0207 939 6030
info@makingmusic.org.uk
www.makingmusic.org.uk

Since 1935, Making Music has championed leisure-time music groups across the UK with practical services, artistic development opportunities and by providing a collective voice for its members.

The organisation now represents over 3,300 groups made up of around 180,000 musicians of all types, genres and abilities. We help them run their group so they can get on with making music! www.makingmusic.org.uk

Sir Karl Jenkins is one of the most performed living composers in the world. The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace alone has been performed over 1800 times in 20 different countries since the CD was released while his recorded output has resulted in 17 gold and platinum disc awards.

His style and integrity has transcended musical boundaries encompassing jazz-rock with Soft Machine, the global ‘crossover’ phenomenon Adiemus, soundtracks for Levis and British Airways, while stopping off along the way to score a Kiefer Sutherland movie, be a castaway on BBC Desert Island Discs, be featured by Melvyn Bragg on the ITV seminal South Bank Show and be awarded the Freedom of the City of London. Recordings on Warner Classics include Requiem, Stabat Mater, Quirk, Stella Natalis and The Peacemakers and on Deutsche Grammophon Adiemus Colores and Motets. He has composed music for HRH The Prince of Wales, Bryn Terfel, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Dame Evelyn Glennie and the London Symphony Orchestra amongst many others.

A Doctor of Music, he holds Fellowships, Honorary Doctorates and Professorships at five universities or conservatoires, including the Royal Academy of Music, where a room has been named in his honour. In November 2009 he was given the Cymru For the World Award and in March 2010 was honoured with the Hopkins Medal given by the St. David’s Society for the State of New York.

In 2015 he was confirmed as the most popular living composer in Classic FM’s 'Ultimate Hall of Fame' and holds the Classic FM ‘Red f ‘award for ‘outstanding service to classical music’. He was awarded a Knighthood in the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours for "services to composing and crossing musical genres" and his autobiography Still with the Music was published by Elliott & Thompson. His music is published exclusively by Boosey & Hawkes.