Faber Music is proud to announce that George Benjamin is awarded honorary membership of the Royal Philharmonic Society, one of the highest accolades in music. The RPS described him as “a consummate musician who enriches our lives” and highlighted the “virtuosity, integrity, care and consideration he brings to everything he does, whether as a pianist, teacher, spellbinding speaker, programmer or internationally acclaimed conductor”.
 
Honorary Membership of the Royal Philharmonic Society is given in recognition of outstanding services to music and has been awarded fewer than 130 times. Benjamin joins an illustrious list of Honorary Members that include Rossini (1839), Brahms (1882), Clara Schumann (1887), Stravinsky (1921) and Aaron Copland (1970).
 
The RPS praised Benjamin’s long and acclaimed career: “It is now 30 years since the 20 year-old George Benjamin blazed in to public view with a performance of his Ringed by the Flat Horizon at the BBC Proms. Since then he has won audiences over worldwide with his finely crafted and uncannily beautiful, expressive music. He is a consummate musician and enriches our lives. The Royal Philharmonic Society is proud to make George Benjamin an Honorary Member”.
 
Faber Music’s Torsten Rasch was also honoured at the awards. His dramatic score for Punchdrunk and ENO’s innovative, immersive opera project The Duchess of Malfi , helped ENO to scoop the award for Audience Development.