11 January The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) announces that Sir Simon Rattle is to stand down as its music director in 2023, and is scheduled subsequently to take the title of LSO conductor emeritus for life.
21 January The Glastonbury Festival announces the cancellation of its scheduled 2021 Festival, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
22 January The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra announces that Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla is to conclude her tenure as its music director after the 2021–2022 season, and subsequently to take on the post of principal guest conductor.
27 January PRS for Music institutes its new "Online Live Concert" licence fee, for ticketed small-scale live-streamed performances, at a scale of £22.50 plus VAT for events with revenue up to £250, regardless of whether the takings surpass £250, and a doubling of the fee for events that gross between £251 and £500.
1 February Following protests by musicians, PRS for Music announces an amendment to its new "Online Live Concert" licence fee scheme, whereby livestreamed events that produce less than £500 revenue are newly to be covered by a free licence, on the condition that artists exclusively perform their own works.
5 February The Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival announces Isata Kanneh-Mason as the recipient of its Leonard Bernstein Award for 2021.
18 February The City of London Corporation announces the cancellation of plans for the intended Centre for Music, with scheduled renovations of the Barbican Centre to occur instead.
1 March The Download Festival announces cancellation of its 2021 festival season, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
2 March The Isle of Wight Festival announces the re-scheduling of its 2021 festival season from 17–20 June 2021 to 16–19 September 2021.
9 March Winston Marshall announces that he is taking indefinite leave of absence from Mumford & Sons, following criticism of his Tweet in praise of Andy Ngo's book Unmasked.
12 March The Association of British Orchestras announces its 2021 ABO Awards at its 2021 conference:
ABO Award: The Musicians
Classical Music Artist Manager of the Year: Moema Parrott
Classical Music Concert Hall Manager of the Year: John Gilhooly
Orchestra Manager of the Year: Crispin Woodhead
Commendation: Greg Felton
ABO Special Award: John Summers and Timothy Walker
16 March Royal Northern Sinfonia announces the appointment of Dinis Sousa as its next principal conductor, effective September 2021.
18 March The BBC announces that the leadership team of BBC Radio 3 is to relocate to Salford, along with relocation of select Radio 6 staff.
30 March
The London Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Sir Antonio Pappano as its next chief conductor, effective in September 2024.
The Royal Opera announces that Sir Antonio Pappano is to conclude his tenure as ROH music director at the close of the 2023-2024 season.
7 April Southbank Sinfonia and St John's Smith Square mutually announce their merger into a single charity and organisation, Southbank Sinfonia at St John's Smith Square.
8 April The London Philharmonic Orchestra announces the appointment of Elena Dubinets as its next artistic director, effective September 2021, following the departure of Cristina Rocca from the post.
13 April English Touring Opera announces the appointment of Gerry Cornelius as its next music director, with immediate effect.
30 April At Bramley-Moore Dock, Liverpool, 3000 clubbers participate in an Events Research Programme test event headlined by DJ Jayda G, without social distancing or required mask-wearing, as part of a scientific study on coronavirus transmission at mass events.
2 May
The BBC announces percussionist Fang Zhang as the BBC Young Musician 2020.
At Sefton Park, Liverpool, 5000 attendees attend a live concert with performances by Zuzu and by Blossoms, in an Events Research Programme test event, without social distancing or required mask-wearing, as part of a scientific study on coronavirus transmission at mass events, the largest such UK music gathering since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
12 June:Queen's Birthday Honours List 2021:
Imogen Cooper is made a Dame Commander of the British Empire.
Ram John Holder, Lulu, and Rick Wakeman are each made an Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Eleanor Alberga, Julian Lloyd Webber, Alan Parsons, Skin (Deborah Anne Dyer), John Summers, and Michael Volpe are each made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
Jess Gillam, Dennis Bovell, Engelbert Humperdinck, Alison Moyet, Huw Watkins, and Sarah Willis are each made a Member of the Order of the British Empire.
Alan Hawkshaw and Jeremy Huw Williams are each awarded the British Empire Medal.
18 June The Download Pilot Festival begins in Donington Park in Leicestershire, a 3-day pilot test event without mask or social distance requirements for attendees.
24 June Winston Marshall announces that he is leaving Mumford & Sons, following controversy over him praising right-wing journalist Andy Ngo.
4 August The BBC announces the appointment of Bill Chandler as the new Director of the BBC Concert Orchestra, effective 4 September 2021.
10 August The BBC announces the appointment of Suzy Klein as its new Head of Arts and Classical Music TV, effective 4 October 2021.
14 August Simon Gallup announces that he has left The Cure, citing "betrayal" as his reasons for leaving. Gallup soon deleted his post, and confirmed on 14 October that he was still in the band.
17 August Alan Leach and Joe Johnson announce that they will be leaving Shed Seven after fulfilling their touring commitments with the band in the Summer.
23 August John Lydon loses a legal case, to prevent former Sex Pistols bandmates Steve Jones and Paul Cook from allowing the use of their songs in a television biopic based on the band.
5 September The Sinfonia of London, in its newest incarnation, performs its first live concert at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the 2021 season of The Proms, conducted by John Wilson.
14 September The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Kazuki Yamada as its next chief conductor and artistic advisor, the first Asian conductor ever named to the posts, effective 1 April 2023, with an initial contract of 4.5 years.
18 September The 2021 Leeds International Piano Competition announces its prize winners:
First prize: Alim Beisembayev
Second prize: Kaito Kabayashi
Third prize: Ariel Lanyi
Fourth prize: Dmytro Choni
Fifth prize: Thomas Kelly
15 October The Choir of St John's College, Cambridge announces its intention to admit female singers to the choir for the first time in its history, effective in 2022.
17 October The London Handel Festival announces the appointment of Gregory Batsleer as its next festival director, with immediate effect.
25 October The London Mozart Players announce the appointment of Flynn LeBrocq as its new chief executive, effective January 2022.
1 November The Royal Philharmonic Society announces the recipients of the 2021 Royal Philharmonic Society Awards:
Chamber-Scale Composition: Laura Bowler – Wicked Problems
Conductor: Ryan Bancroft
Ensemble: Dunedin Consort
Gamechanger: Bold Tendencies
Impact: ENO Breathe
Inspiration: Hilary Campbell and Bristol Choral Society
Instrumentalist: Nicola Benedetti
Large-Scale Composition: Dani Howard - Trombone Concerto
Opera & Music Theatre: L'enfant et les sortilèges - Vopera
Series & Events: 'The World How Wide' - Chorus of Royal Northern Sinfonia
Singer: Jennifer Johnston
Storytelling: Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason - House of Music
Young Artist: The Hermes Experiment
18 November Sir Roger Norrington conducts his self-proclaimed final classical concert, with the Royal Northern Sinfonia at The Sage, Gateshead.
4 December The Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival announces Hannah Kendall as the recipient of its Hindemith Prize 2022.
8 December The Ivors Composer Awards announces its 2021 recipients:
Impact Award – Zoe Rahman
Visionary Award – Sarah Angliss
Innovation Award – Cleveland Watkiss
Jazz Composition – Nikki Iles: The Caged Bird
Large-Scale Composition – Anna Þorvaldsdóttir: Catamorphosis
Outstanding Works Collection – Alexander Goehr
Small Chamber Composition – Alex Paxton: Sometimes Voices
Solo Composition – Martin Iddon: Lampades
Sound Art – Caroline Kraabel: London 26 And 28 March 2020: Imitation: Inversion
Vocal and Choral Composition – Thomas Adès: Gyökér (Root)
31 December2022 New Year Honours:
John Gilhooly is made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
Alpesh Chauhan, Steven Osborne, and Mark Pemberton are each made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
Michael Asante, Peter Broadbent, Andrew Carwood, Sydney Harris, and Berendina Norton are each made a Member of the Order of the British Empire.
Nikki Iles and Mark Strachan are each awarded the British Empire Medal.
Classical Music
HANNAH KENDALL
'Where is the chariot of fire?'
JACK SHEEN
Hollow propranolol séance
THOMAS ADÈS
Shanty – Over the Sea
Alchymia (clarinet quintet)
ERROLLYN WALLEN
Sojourner Truth
NATALIE KLOUDA
Nightscapes 2020
MARK SIMPSON
Violin Concerto
SIMON HOLT
Cloud Shadow
COLIN MATTHEWS (texts by SIDNEY KEYES)
Seascapes
MARK-ANTHONY TURNAGE
Owl Songs
Up for Grabs
CHARLOTTE BRAY
When Icebergs Dance Away
HANNAH KENDALL (music) and SABRINA MAHFOUZ (text)
Rosalind
Sir JOHN TAVENER
La Noche Oscura
(completed in 2012, premiered 25 June 2021)
Sir JAMES MacMILLAN
When Soft Voices Die
DANIEL KIDANE
Revel
Sir GEORGE BENJAMIN
Concerto for Orchestra
BRYN HARRISON
A Coiled Form
JONATHAN DOVE
In Exile
GRACE-EVANGELINE MASON
The Imagined Forest
KATE WHITLEY (music) and LAURA ATTRIDGE (text)
Our Future in Your Hands
REBECCA SAUNDERS (music) and ED ATKINS (text)
Us Dead Talk Love
JAY CAPPERAULD
Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death
TOM COULT
Pleasure Garden
CECILIA McDOWALL
There is no rose
Opera
SAMANTHA FERRANDO and MELANIE WILSON
Current, Rising
Musical Theatre
FISHERMAN'S FRIENDS: THE MUSICAL, with book by Amanda Whittington
starring Calum Callaghan and Susie Blake
ran from 13 to 30 October at the Cornwall Playhouse, Truro.
GET UP, STAND UP! THE BOB MARLEY MUSICAL, with book by Lee Hall
starring Arinzé Kene as Bob Marley
opened on 21 October at the Lyric Theatre, London.
Please address any comments concerning this page to The Music Maestro
Mark Chard BSc, PLY
Page created: 28th August 2023
Last edited: 28th August 2023
