Timothy Ridout scooped a major victory for the viola as a solo instrument, while the Marmen Quartet was recognised for its recording of challenging works by Bartók and Ligeti
The winners of the 21st annual BBC Music Magazine Awards were announced at a ceremony on 22 April 2026 at Kings Place, London.
String players were triumphant among the eleven categories. Violist Timothy Ridout received the Instrumental Award for his album Solo, of works by Bach, Britten, Telemann and Caroline Shaw on Harmonia Mundi.
Upon receiving his award, he gave a performance of Shaw’s work in manus tuas, which features on the winning album.
’I’m absolutely delighted to receive the BBC Music Magazine award in the Instrumentalist Category,’ Ridout told The Strad.
’When I embarked on this journey to record a purely solo viola album, I could never have imagined that it would receive such a reception. This award confirms my belief of what an incredibly beautiful, powerful and moving instrument the viola can be, and I am truly honoured to be the recipient!’
The Marmen Quartet won the Chamber Award, in association with Wigmore Hall, for its album of works by Bartók and Ligeti on BIS, described as ’magnificent performances of some of the most challenging string quartet repertoire of the 20th century’.
The Premiere Award went to Bulgarian-British composer Dobrinka Tabakova’s Sun Triptych on ECM, which featured violist Maxim Rysanov, pianist Dasol Kim, violinist Roman Mints and the BBC Concert Orchestra.
In other categories, the Personality of the Year Award went to Harry Christophers, the founder and director of The Sixteen choral ensemble. Vocal ensemble Tenebrae’s A Prayer for Deliverance received both the Choral Award and the Recording of the Year.
Julian Bliss received the Concerto Award for his recording of Lindberg and Aho Clarinet Concertos with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Taavi Oramo, while the Orchestral Award went to a recording of works by Schreker, Korngold and Krenek, performed by the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire, conducted by Sascha Goetzel.
Mezzo-soprano Anna Lucia Richter took the Vocal Award for Mahler Songs of Fate accompanied by the Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, and Bartók’s Duke Bluebeard’s Castle, performed by mezzo-soprano Rinat Shaham and bass-baritone Gábor Bretz, with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Karina Canellakis, took the the Opera Award.
Watch Timothy Ridout perform Partita no.2 in D minor V. Chaconne by Bach in the video below:
Photo credit: Johnny Millar.
Read: Session Report: Timothy Ridout on recording a new solo album
Read: Bryony Gibson-Cornish: How I acquired my dream Amati viola
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