The Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM) presented an ISM Lifetime Achievement Award to composer and ISM member Jonathan Harvey on Saturday 29 September 2012. This is the first time that such an award has been given by the ISM.
ISM Past President Paul Max Edlin and fellow composer Param Vir made the presentation at Jonathan’s home in Sussex.
On accepting the award, Jonathan said:
‘I am overjoyed to receive the incredible honour of an ISM Lifetime Achievement Award which is one of the greatest honours of my life. Whilst I have received awards for individual pieces, they have had a competitive aspect to them...this award is an acceptance from a whole community of musicians for which I feel very deeply honoured.’
ISM Chief Executive Deborah Annetts added:
‘This award is presented to acknowledge that Jonathan has created a different way of speaking, and provided a fundamentally different way of hearing the world, through music.’