Scottish music champion John Wallace awarded RPS Honorary Membership

Huge congratulations to celebrated trumpeter, composer, educator and patron of the Scottish Brass Band Association, John Wallace CBE, on receiving Honorary Membership of the Royal Philharmonic Society.

The accolade was presented to John yesterday evening at Edinburgh’s Stockbridge Parish Church in a concert by the ensemble John founded almost 40 years ago, The Wallace Collection.

Together with the cooperation band, the acclaimed musicians performed for the first time Giovanni Gabrieli’s Invisible Symphony, the complete Canzoni et Sonate 1615 re-imagined through the pen of John himself.

Since 1826, the RPS has presented Honorary Membership in recognition of those who devote their lives to music and uplifting others with it. It was first presented to the composer Weber and subsequent recipients include such luminaries as Mendelssohn, Berlioz, Liszt, Wagner, Brahms, Dvořák, Clara Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Ravel, Stravinsky, Yehudi Menuhin, Fanny Waterman and, more recently, Evelyn Glennie, Marin Alsop, the broadcaster Humphrey Burton, the opera directors Graham Vick and David Pountney, Thea Musgrave, Stephen Sondheim, Judith Weir and James MacMillan.

John is the second trumpeter to receive it, following Philip Jones in 1999, in whose ensemble John performed earlier in his career. He was presented with his Honorary Membership certificate by RPS chief executive James Murphy and RPS trustee Jo Buckley with the following citation:

If someone asks what rewards and resonance come from a life lived in music, you might tell them the story of John Wallace. Since earliest childhood, John has embraced all music’s possibilities and embarked on one adventure after another, sharing his musical passion with others.

He is one of the great trumpeters of our times, with starring roles in the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia and London Sinfonietta. As a composer and arranger, he has created such riches for other musicians to savour.

As a soloist, he transformed the contemporary repertoire with memorable works from luminaries including Malcolm Arnold, Peter Maxwell-Davies and James MacMillan. He has continually brought brass players together, particularly through the enduring Wallace Collection who – from their first steps almost 40 years ago – have not just blazed onstage, but ventured out into communities to enchant and engage others with music.

In this, we see John’s brilliance in helping others to take up music and to find their own pathways in life through it. He is a torch-bearer for music education, first as Head of Brass at the Royal Academy of Music, then as the first Scot to become Principal of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland – which found its name, its current scope, and its international reputation in John’s care.

He is an enduring crusader, in multiple roles, particularly in convening the Music Education Partnership Group, to ensure Scottish children have opportunities to be musically adventurous themselves.

John, the spirit and selflessness with which you have done all this, all your life, is inspirational. We especially salute your resilience and dedication through the tough personal circumstances you have bravely faced lately. You are an exemplar to us all, and a genuine national treasure.

Hear, hear!