Sir Charles Groves Prize awarded to founder of Paraorchestra, Charles Hazlewood

Making Music has presented acclaimed conductor Charles Hazlewood with the Sir Charles Groves Prize for his outstanding contribution to the musical life of the United Kingdom. 

Award-winning conductor Charles Hazlewood has worked with many of the world's greatest orchestras, including Royal Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, The Philharmonia, Swedish Radio Symphony and Danish Radio Symphony. His career has seen him play Carnegie Hall, the BBC Proms and multiple festivals throughout the world. Charles has collaborated with artists as diverse as Nigel Kennedy, Goldie, Squarepusher and Wyclef Jean, has conducted over 200 world premieres and won the Berlin Film Festival 'Golden Bear' for Best Film with his South African township opera company's U-Carmen eKhayelitsha. 

Charles has authored, presented and conducted the music in multiple landmark films for BBC TV and Sky Arts, won three Sony Radio Academy Awards for his shows on BBC Radio 2 and 3, composed the scores for the South African Mysteries, Dead Dog In A Suitcase (And Other Love Songs) - a new Beggar’s Opera, and a new opera, The Tin Drum. He has three TED talks to his name, and was a recent Castaway on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs.

Selected by Making Music’s Board of trustees, the biennial Sir Charles Groves Prize recognises the outstanding contribution of individuals or organisations to the musical life of the UK 

Charles founded and is Artistic Director of Paraorchestra: the world's first large-scale professional ensemble of virtuoso disabled and non-disabled musicians. Bristol-based Paraorchestra create large-scale and dynamic music experiences, blending artforms and technology to create innovative new ways of experiencing orchestral music. Their ensembles feature professional disabled and non-disabled musicians, playing a mix of acoustic, analogue, digital, and assistive instruments. Paraorchestra are not only radically changing who connects with orchestral music, but shifting the perception of disability by removing the outdated barriers that too often prevent a showcase of excellence in disabled players. 

Charles Hazlewood’s [...] outstanding artistic work with musicians of different physical abilities is an inspiration and showcase for others who may currently feel that making music is not for them, so the Making Music Board wanted to shine a light on this conductor as a model of an inclusive leader

On Tuesday 20 June, Chief Executive of Making Music, Barbara Eifler presented the award to Charles Hazlewood at a special performance of Paraorchestra's SMOOSH!  at the Factory Project in East London. Selected by Making Music’s Board of trustees, the biennial Sir Charles Groves Prize recognises the outstanding contribution of individuals or organisations to the musical life of the UK. Charles Hazlewood’s work with the Paraorchestra chimes with Making Music’s vision that everyone should have the opportunity to be part of a music group. His outstanding artistic work with musicians of different physical abilities is an inspiration and showcase for others who may currently feel that making music is not for them, so the Making Music Board wanted to shine a light on this conductor as a model of an inclusive leader. 

Charles Hazlewood, said:  

‘I am beyond honoured (and feel thoroughly unworthy) to accept the Sir Charles Groves award. I have had an utterly joyous life making music with a smorgasbord of brilliant people for over 30 years; it is its own reward, but to be recognised by Making Music is very special indeed’

Barbara Eifler, CEO of Making Music commented:

‘We are delighted to be able to recognise an immensely talented artist who has done so much to broaden the perception of who can be a musician; barriers to creativity are not inside people, but in the world in which they find themselves. Here is someone who does not accept these barriers and shows us all how – and why – we should help remove them.’

Read about past winners of the Sir Charles Groves Prize and find out about Paraorchestra

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