PRS Foundation and The New BBC Radiophonic Workshop launch The Oram Awards
- New awards recognise talented female music creators innovating in music, sound and related technologies
- The awards are named after one of the founding members of the original BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Daphne Oram
- Awards ceremony to take place on Saturday 3rd June 2017 at the Turner Contemporary Margate.
PRS Foundation, the UK’s leading funder of new music and talent development, together with The New BBC Radiophonic Workshop launch today, the inaugural Oram Awards celebrating innovation in music, sound and related technologies by the next generation of forward thinking women.
Named after Daphne Oram, one of the founding members of the original BBC Radiophonic Workshop, the awards hope to build on her legacy. Daphne worked at the workshop with others including Delia Derbyshire, Glynis Jones, Jenyth Worsley, Maddalena Fagandini and Elizabeth Parker, creating music for the distant future, the distant past and inside the mind. She played a vital role in establishing women at the forefront of innovation, in newly emerging audio technologies, in the UK and around the world. Fast forward to 2017 and whilst there are many women innovating in music and sound, their work and their voices often struggle to be heard and we’re missing the opportunity to celebrate role models for the next generation.
The Oram Awards which will focus on Innovation in sound, music and associated technologies will see 2 winners receiving special commendations and PRS Foundation talent development bursaries of £1,000 each, and 6 winners each receiving talent development bursaries of £500 from PRS Foundation.
The judging panel for the awards will include singer Roisin Murphy, mastering engineer Mandy Parnell and representatives from The New BBC Radiophonic Workshop, PRS Foundation and The Daphne Oram Trust.
The awards ceremony will take place on Saturday 3rd June at the Turner Contemporary Margate as part of Canterbury Christchurch University’s Oscillate Festival.
Matthew Herbert, Creative Director of The New Radiophonic Workshop, says “One of the best aspects of the original workshop was the opportunity it gave to women in a field traditionally dominated by men. In 2017, it’s frankly embarrassing to say that it’s still a battle that needs to be fought. These awards and this initiative is hopefully one way for us to find the next generation of innovators out there and give them not only support but also an outlet for their work and ideas.”
Vanessa Reed, Chief Executive of PRS Foundation says, “The Oram Awards are a fantastic way to put a spotlight on the next generation of talented female music and sound innovators in the UK today whilst also recognising the important legacy of Daphne Oram. I’m very much looking forward to discovering the work of the shortlisted music creators and the impact our talent development bursaries will have on their careers.”
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