The winners of the 2026 Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) Awards were announced earlier this month at the Southbank Centre’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, in a ceremony hosted by BBC Radio 3 presenters Georgia Mann and Petroc Trelawny, celebrating outstanding achievement across the UK’s classical music sector.
Jacob Collier received the RPS Gamechanger Award, the evening’s major honour, recognising his boundary-crossing work as a performer, composer and educator. Other leading awards went to soprano Louise Alder (Singer Award), conductor John Wilson (Conductor Award), and composer Mark-Anthony Turnage, whose opera Festen received the Large-Scale Composition Award.
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra was named Ensemble of the Year, while Orchestras for All received the Impact Award. The Inspiration Award, decided by public vote, went to the Kirkcaldy Orchestral Society, marking a strong showing for Scotland. Instrumental honours were awarded to trombonist Peter Moore, with trumpeter Matilda Lloyd named Young Artist.
Further awards recognised Claudia Molitor (Chamber-Scale Composition), Glyndebourne’s Uprising (Opera and Music Theatre), Southbank Centre’s Multitudes festival (Series and Events), and Elizabeth Alker (Storytelling).
