RPS Honorary Membership was presented to Amelia at the start of the concert, on Saturday 5 October, recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

Since 1826, the RPS has presented Honorary Membership in recognition of those who devote their lives to music and uplifting others with it. It was first presented to the composer Weber and subsequent recipients include Mendelssohn, Berlioz, Liszt, Wagner, Brahms, Dvořák, Clara Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Ravel, Stravinsky, Yehudi Menuhin, Fanny Waterman and more recently Evelyn Glennie, Marin Alsop, the broadcaster Humphrey Burton, the opera directors Graham Vick and David Pountney, Thea Musgrave, Stephen Sondheim, and Judith Weir. Recipients are annually chosen by the RPS Board and Council.

Presenting Amelia with her certificate, RPS Chief Executive James Murphy read the following citation:

‘Devoted Nash Ensemble fans among you will need no introduction to Amelia Freedman CBE. She is the bright driving force behind all the group’s concerts, here at Wigmore Hall over the decades, and worldwide, and their many wonderful recordings. Amelia founded the group, as a student at the Royal Academy of Music, in 1964. The fuse she lit then, and all the wonders it led to, make her an icon to every young musician setting out to organise concerts of their own. Over six decades, everything she has done to nurture the group, and grow its international reputation and following, make her the living embodiment of the word ‘dedication’ – a remarkable lifelong act of selfless generosity, creating golden opportunities for musicians, and such enchantment for audiences.

At the heart of this, from the very start, Amelia has shown such faith in new and overlooked musical jewels, ensuring their place alongside the enduring classics. In her care, the group has commissioned and premiered over 300 new works, a commitment that continues to blaze with new music tonight and through the season ahead. Cast alongside this her exceptional tenure as Southbank Centre’s Head of Classical Music from 1995 to 2006, and her Artistic Direction of Bath Mozartfest since 1995, and it’s clear what a champion Amelia is. In the words of the late Harrison Birtwistle, with whom Amelia frequently collaborated, she and the Nash Ensemble are angels… blessed with wings of gold.’

You can hear the BBC Radio 3 recording of the concert online linked here, until 5 November 2025, with an excerpt from the presentation 1:04:20 minutes into the broadcast.

ABOUT AMELIA

Amelia Freedman CBE, Artistic Director of the Nash Ensemble, founded the group in 1964. She has received many honours including an FRAM and the CBE in The Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2006. In 1996 she was appointed Chevalier dans l'Ordre National du Mérite by the President of France for her services to French music. In 2010, she was made an Officier dans l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture, for her services to classical music. She has also been awarded the Leslie Boosey Award for exceptional commitment to contemporary classical music by the the Royal Philharmonic Society. She was Head of Classical Music at Southbank Centre from 1995 to 2006. She has been the Artistic Director of Bath Mozartfest since 1995.

www.nashensemble.org.uk