Inspirational Ellie is Nominated for National Award

We are so excited that Ellie Slorach, our Principal Guest Conductor, is a nominee in the ‘Conductor’ category of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s National Awards scheme. The Awards Evening (Thursday, 12th March, Queen Elizabeth Hall, London) is described by The Sunday Times as ‘the biggest night in UK Classical Music’. 

 The shortlisted nominees ‘inspire and enrich lives nationwide’. Singers and audiences feel inspired and enriched by Ellie; you can hear the truth of this when Ellie conducts our spring concert on 14th March. Click here for tickets.  

Keen to know more about her nomination, we caught up with Ellie to ask her a few questions. 

Ellie, how and when did you find out about your nomination for this prestigious award? 

 I found out a little before the official announcement and I was absolutely thrilled. It’s really an honour!   

Who are you up against in the Conductor category? 

 The other two conductors are John Wilson and Domingo Hindoyan; I feel privileged to be listed alongside them both! 

How will your nomination affect the way you work as a musician? 

 I think I’ll just continue on as I am! It’s made me feel confident in what I’m doing and how I approach my role. 

James Murphy (CEO of the RPO) suggests the Award celebrates what musicians do to ‘engage and entertain’ their audiences. How do you ensure that audiences feel engaged and entertained? 

 I like to programme concerts with the audience at the heart of the decision making. I think about the whole experience of the audience member; from walking through the performance venue door to leaving at the very end. I consider whether there should be spoken presentation between pieces, or whether pieces should float seamlessly from one to the next, what the performance looks like, what’s the final feeling the audience member might leave with, and so on…! 

BBC Radio 3 (broadcasting the evening highlights on Friday, 13th March) promises an ‘uplifting night of fun and festivity’. What are you looking forward to most about the evening? 

 I’m looking forward to hearing about all the amazing projects/ensembles/people that are keeping the music industry exciting and forward-thinking! I’m also looking forward to chatting with people after the event itself and meeting some new colleagues – possibly some new collaborators! 

 If you want to find out more about the RPO Awards scheme, read this Guardian article. Don’t forget to check out the featured conductor in the accompanying picture.

We are keeping our fingers crossed for you Ellie!