The awarding panel, comprising leading figures working in classical music, says:

Percussionist Beth Higham-Edwards is a tremendously positive role-model. Before the pandemic, she took the lead of London Chamber Orchestra’s principal education project Music Junction, inspiring 10 partner schools in Greater London and Berkshire, including special educational needs schools. Once the pandemic hit, she devoted herself week in week out to keeping the initiative alive: being constantly present in weekly Zooms not only for young people already involved, but opening it up for a much wider community. Evident in the inspirational videos you can still find online, Beth’s brilliance through this has been to make all young people – regardless of their musical ability, or even whether they own an instrument – feel musically fuelled. She has cultivated such curiosity, creativity and resourcefulness among so many, not just fortifying them through the lockdown, but setting them on musical journeys for life.’

Also commended was viola player Amy Thomas from the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. In CBSO’s centenary year, she was a bright, driving force across their digital platforms and social media, devising and presenting a range of content to engage audiences and – through this – help ensure she and her fellow players retained a sense of purpose while they could not perform in the usual way.