Few classical names in New Year’s honours list
NewsToday’s list is low on classical big hitters.
There are CBEs (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for film composer George Fenton and Royal Northern College of Music principal Linda Merrick.
The bagpiper Stuart Liddell receives an MBE, as does mezzo-soprano Christine Rice.
ClassicFM presenter John Suchet is appointed OBE, together with saxophonist YolanDa Brown (pictured).
What did you expect, Norman? Maybe a tap on the shoulder for Dr Brunjes at ENO? And a CBE for his soon to step down hatchet man Murphy? Maybe even a gong for ACE’s Darren Henley? It’s all anyway become so meaningless as you can apparently pay to have a submission professionally constructed for you. Tawdry isn’t it?
Congratulations to Christine Rice, at least
Very pleased to see Linda Merrick honored . She has made a great contribution to music education at RNCM.
Seriously? Absolute second rate musician, elbowing her way to a top post she never deserved.
No surprise there! By contrast, if you’re a footballer….
What happened to King Charlie’s supposed desire to ‘fix’ classical music?
Classical music is suffering from a lack of airtime and exposure, these gongs might have been a way for KC to address this…
What are his options as a king? This is not a rhetorical question.
Not his decision.
LVO for James O’Donnell, lately Organist of Westminster Abbey
Who were the last organist knights at Westminster Abbey, St. George’s Chapel, Windsor and St. Paul’s Cathedral? The choirs have been at their finest from the seventies onwards, but where are the knighthoods? William Mckie, William Harris and John Dykes Bower were thought worthy, but no one since. Even the pope gave the present Westminster Abbey organist a knighthood!
I have never understood why anyone who does their job and does it well deserves any honour? Why do so many conductors automatically end up with knighthoods? Why do
Directors of major opera companies get knighthoods? Does anyone seriously believe Jeremy Isaacs really deserved one? Why do directors of the Edinburgh Festival regularly get one? Is it something that is in the job description? Come to think of it, why do big donors to political
parties deserve anything?
When an individual goes out of his way to raise lots of cash for charities or benefits some people through excellence in an underpaid community job, they deserve recognition. Sir Simon this or Sir Andrew that don’t – in my view.