RPS Honorary Membership was presented to John on Sunday 24 August 2025 onstage at Edinburgh’s Stockbridge Parish Church in a concert entitled The Invisible Symphony, given by the ensemble John founded almost 40 years ago: The Wallace Collection. Together with the cooperation band, they performed Gabrieli’s monumental Canzoni et Sonate for the first time as a through-composed, unitary work, transcribed by John himself. 

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, Judith Weir, and most recently James MacMillan. John Wallace is the second trumpeter to receive it, following Philip Jones in 1999, in whose ensemble John performed earlier in his career.

John was presented with his Honorary Membership certificate by RPS Chief Executive James Murphy and RPS Trustee Jo Buckley, with the following citation:

‘If someone asks what rewards and resonance come from a life lived in music, you might tell them the story of John Wallace. Since earliest childhood, John has embraced all music’s possibilities and embarked on one adventure after another, sharing his musical passion with others. 

He is one of the great trumpeters of our times, with starring roles in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia and London Sinfonietta. As a composer and arranger, he has created such riches for other musicians to savour. As a soloist, he transformed the contemporary repertoire with memorable works from luminaries including Malcolm Arnold, Peter Maxwell-Davies and James MacMillan. He has continually brought brass players together, particularly through the enduring Wallace Collection who – from their first steps almost 40 years ago – have not just blazed onstage, but ventured out into communities to enchant and engage others with music. 

In this, we see John’s brilliance in helping others to take up music and to find their own pathways in life through it. He is a torch-bearer for music education, first as Head of Brass at the Royal Academy of Music, then as the first Scot to become Principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland – which found its name, its current scope, and its international reputation in John’s care. He is an enduring crusader, in multiple roles, particularly in convening the Music Education Partnership Group, to ensure Scottish children have opportunities to be musically adventurous themselves. 

John, the spirit and selflessness with which you have done all this, all your life, is inspirational. We especially salute your resilience and dedication through the tough personal circumstances you have bravely faced lately. You are an exemplar to us all, and a genuine national treasure.’

ABOUT JOHN WALLACE

Internationally-renowned Scottish trumpet soloist, composer and educator, John Wallace CBE started playing the trumpet when he was seven years old. His professional career spans many decades, and has seen him attain titled roles at the Philharmonia (where he was Principal Trumpet and Vice Chair), Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, and London Symphony Orchestra. As a soloist, he famously performed with Kiri Te Kanawa to a live TV audience of over 700 million people, at the 1981 wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. Composers who have written concertos for him include Malcolm Arnold, James MacMillan, and Peter Maxwell Davies.

He has dedicated much of his career to music education, as Head of Brass at the Royal Academy of Music in London, before becoming Principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2002. The main achievements of his period as Principal were getting drama funded on the same footing as music; bringing dance into the portfolio to make this the first conservatoire of its scale for all the performing arts in Europe; changing the name from Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama to reflect this new stature; undertaking a comprehensive curriculum reform; extending the estate both in Glasgow’s Renfrew Street (the West Wing) and at Speirs Locks – the Wallace Studios – at a cost of £14.5 million raised mainly through philanthropy, at no cost to the public purse. 

Consequently, John convened the Music Education Partnership Group, which has worked tirelessly to secure free instrumental tuition in Scottish state schools. He has served as Chair for Glasgow Barons, President of St Mary’s Music School in Edinburgh, and Patron of the Scottish Brass Band Association where, in 2025, he received the Outstanding Achievement Award. 
John is the founder of The Wallace Collection: the acclaimed brass ensemble that has toured worldwide and recorded multiple albums. It is a dedicated partner in the St Andrews Music Participation (StAMP) Project, which has given many youngsters across Fife the opportunity to start learning a brass instrument. 

John is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music, Royal Northern College of Music, Trinity Laban, Leeds Conservatoire, and the Royal Irish Academy of Music. He studied composition at the Royal Academy of Music and York University and has written, arranged and transcribed many works, particularly for brass. 

In 2021, John received the Queen’s Medal for Music for an outstanding individual or group casting a major positive influence on the musical life of the nation. He was appointed OBE in the 1995 New Year Honours list, and CBE in the 2011 Birthday Honours list, in recognition of all his achievements.

www.thewallacecollection.world