Announced at a live event at the Southbank Centre in London, on the evening of Wednesday 4 February, the award ceremony also revealed the winners of the 2026 ABO Impact Awards.
As the Association of British Orchestras (ABO) Conference kicks off in London, the industry body has announced Dame Kathryn McDowell DBE DL, Managing Director of the London Symphony Orchestra, as the recipient of its prestigious ABO Award.
The ABO Award is presented annually to the individual or institution considered by the membership to have made the most important contribution to the orchestral life of the UK. The ABO Award is unique among the many prestigious awards and prizes in the music world because its recipient is nominated by the member orchestras themselves.
Dame Kathryn has been Managing Director of the London Symphony Orchestra since 2005, where she has strengthened its global reputation through artistic excellence, international partnerships, the development of LSO Live into the world’s leading orchestra-owned label, and the expansion of its LSO Discovery education and community programme. A pioneer of orchestral education work since the 1980s, her career spans all four UK nations and includes senior leadership roles with Arts Council England, Welsh National Opera, the Wales Millennium Centre, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the Ulster Orchestra. She was the ABO’s first female Chair from 2014–17, chaired major sector-wide initiatives, and played a vital role during the pandemic in advocating for the survival of the UK’s orchestral sector.
Sophie Lewis, Chair of ABO said: ‘Dame Kathryn has been an inspiration to the entire orchestral sector. Her vision, leadership and tireless advocacy have shaped our profession for decades, and her work on behalf of orchestras across the UK has made a lasting and transformative impact. It is a privilege to recognise her exceptional contribution with the ABO Award.’
Nominated by their peers throughout the industry, the recipients of the ABO Impact Awards were also announced, hosted by ABO Conference Principal Media Partner Classic FM. The awards recognise those whose work has demonstrated the core values of inspiration, innovation and collaboration through their contribution to the sector, across areas of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI), Learning & Development, Environmental Sustainability, Health & Wellbeing, and Innovation.
The awards were presented by Classic FM presenter Ritula Shah, with the ABO Award presented by Sophie Lewis on behalf of the ABO Board and ABO Impact Awards supported by Classical Music Magazine and the Royal Philharmonic Society.
Enquiries
Christopher Millard, Head of Press & External Relations
London Symphony Orchestra
Barbican Centre, Silk Street, EC2Y 8DS
D +44 20 7382 2550 | chris.millard@lso.co.uk
M +44 7545 502226
ABOUT THE ABO
The ABO is the national body representing the collective interest of professional orchestras, youth ensembles and the wider classical music industry throughout the UK. Our mission is to enable and support an innovative, collaborative and sustainable orchestral sector by providing advice, support, intelligence and information to the people who make British orchestras a global success.
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