Last night Faber Music attended the inaugural Art of Piano Education Awards ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall. Two Faber Music and Edition Peters publications won awards, while Faber Music composer Pam Wedgwood was celebrated, winning the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Set up in 2024, The Art of Piano Education Awards exists to celebrate excellence and positive innovation across the industry, with 5 separate award categories.
Paul Harris’s How to sight-read was awarded Best Educational Publication. Speaking about this award, Faber Music Publishing Director Lesley Rutherford said:
‘We are thrilled that How to sight-read has been awarded Best Educational Publication. Paul’s first book with Faber Music was on clarinet sight-reading, and he has devoted his career to this field ever since, most notably with his best-selling Improve your sight-reading series. This latest book, How to sight-read, is a culmination of years of research and teaching experience. The timing of this award is apt as Paul has been travelling the country for the past few months giving talks on sight-reading at local music shops. He wraps up his book tour this week in Newcastle.’
The panel of judges commented:
'We are delighted to honour a publication which distils the career-long research and insight of such a leading authority in this field, and we commend "How to Sight Read" as a hugely significant contribution to our understanding of the importance, and practical ability to teach, this vital skill.'
Notebook for Johann Christian Bach was awarded the prestigious President’s Choice award. Speaking about the award, Faber Music CEO Richard King said,
‘It is an honour to accept this award on behalf of editor Christoph Wolff and our Edition Peters editorial team in Leipzig. Having acquired the Edition Peters print business just over a year ago, it is a privilege to be responsible now for this iconic classical music brand, honouring over 200 years of publishing excellence while taking the catalogue forward in exciting new directions. Notebook for Johann Christian Bach is a great example of this, combining authoritative Urtext with high-quality production, and we are delighted that this has been recognised with the President’s Choice award.'
The panel of judges commented:
'The Johann Christian Bach Notebook, in Christoph Wolff's new and unique Edition Peters volume, is one of those rare publications that is at once an academic milestone, a stunning and important musical discovery, and an example of physical musical publishing at its absolute pinnacle. Bringing to completion a trilogy that has previously included the better-known Anna Magdalena Bach Notebook and the Wilhelm Friedemann Bach Notebook, Wolff and Edition Peters have brought to the world a genuine landmark in music publishing of the highest order, and it is an absolute delight to recognise this supreme achievement with The President's Award at The Art of Piano Education Awards 2024.'
Faber Music composer and author Pam Wedgwood was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award, recognising her significant impact on piano education throughout her career. Pam was celebrated at the awards ceremony with a special performance of a medley of her compositions. Andrew Eales, president of the awards, commented,
‘Pam’s music has enjoyed huge and continuing popularity over several decades, inspiring a generation of pianists and educational composers. Having myself delighted in regularly teaching her music for more than thirty years, it is wonderful to have now an opportunity to recognise and applaud Pam’s immeasurable influence on piano education in this country and beyond.’