Music / News
Paraorchestra win prestigious national award
The Bristol ensemble that aims to ‘disrupt and reinvent the orchestra’ has won a national award at classical music’s BAFTAs equivalent.
Paraorchestra were named Best Ensemble at the Royal Philharmonic Society Awards which took place at the Birmingham Conservatoire and was hosted by BBC Radio 3 presenters Jess Gillam and Tom McKinney.
Celebrating the win, CEO Jonathan Harper praised the ensemble’s “extraordinary artistic achievements” which over the last year, he said, have seen the delivery of a “boundary-breaking repertoire.”
is needed now More than ever
View this post on Instagram
They call themselves fearless, and attempt to push the boundaries of music-making ‘to create art with passion and purpose’.
Led by acclaimed conductor Charles Hazlewood, in 2024 the ensemble – which brings together professional disabled and non-disabled musicians, and incorporates a range of genres and artforms into their concerts – premiered their innovative dance-led performance The Virtuous Circle at the BBC Proms when the world-renowned classical music concert came to Bristol Beacon last year.
They also collaborated with electronic composer Surgeons Girl and AV experts Limbic Cinema to create the immersive Trip the Light Fantastic for the reopening of the Beacon.
And a further collaboration saw Paraorchestra joining forces with Suede frontman Brett Anderson on Death Songbook, a reimagining of classic songs about love and loss from artists including Echo and the Bunnymen and Depeche Mode.
Paraorchestra played the opening night of the Bristol Beacon’s main hall in November 2023 – photo: Bristol Beacon
“Winning RPS Best Ensemble 2025 is a tremendous recognition of the extraordinary artistic achievements of Paraorchestra over the last year, a period in which we presented a boundary-breaking repertoire of orchestral music experiences that blend genres and artforms, to an exceptionally wide range of audiences,” said Harper.
“This award is a testament to Charles for his continued visionary artistic leadership, to the fabulous musicians, composers and creatives, and to our team of hardworking staff and freelancers.
“We’re grateful to RPS and the judges for their support of our unique work and acknowledgement of our achievements, and for the steadfast commitment of our partner venues and funders, including Arts Council England.”
The Virtuous Circle combined orchestral music with dance and the audience was invited to move among the performers, in a unique promenade-style experience – photo: Eljay Briss
Paraorchestra continue their radical take on the classical concert form this year, beginning with Dance Like Nobody’s Watching, a performance of works by Schonberg, Mahler and Johann Strauss II combined with projected visuals created by John Minton, a filmmaker that has worked with Noel Gallagher, Portishead and Sleaford Mods.
In The Bradford Progress the orchestra will celebrate the variety of music that can be found in the west Yorkshire district and the people that make it, in celebration of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.
And they will present Requiem, a reworking of composer Rylan Gleave’s raw album tracks exploring trans-masculinity, patriarchal power, Evangelical Christianity, forgiveness, and queer reverence that draw on doom metal and the timbres of Rylan’s late-breaking voice., at the 2025 New Music Biennial.
View this post on Instagram
Paraorchestra will also continue to deliver their Modulate programme that provides opportunities for ensemble members who identify as disabled, D/deaf or neurodivergent to develop skills and advance their careers.
The artist development programme organises paid residencies, training and mentoring that enables disabled musicians to thrive professionally.
Main photo: Eljay Briss
Read next:
Our newsletters emailed directly to you
