Classical BRIT Awards

The Classical BRIT Awards are an annual awards ceremony held in the United Kingdom covering aspects of classical music, and are the classical equivalent of pop music's Grammy or BRIT Awards.

The awards are organised by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and were inaugurated in 2000 "in recognition of the achievements of classical musicians and the growth of classical music sales in the UK." The ceremony takes place in the Royal Albert Hall each May.

The event combines the magic of live performances from some of the most highly regarded classical musicians and performers in the world today, with a number of specially commissioned awards presented throughout the evening.

Voting for the awards is done by "an academy of industry executives, the media, the British Association of Record Dealers (BARD), members of the Musicians Union, lawyers, promoters, and orchestra leaders," except for "Album of the Year" which is voted for by listeners of Classic FM.

Awards

2000

Friday May 6, 2000. Hosted by Sir Trevor McDonald.

*British Artist of the Year — Charlotte Church
*Female Artist of the Year — Martha Argerich
*Male Artist of the Year — Bryn Terfel
*Ensemble/Orchestral Album of the Year — King's College Choir — Rachmaninoff Vespers
*Album of the Year — Andrea Bocelli — "Sacred Arias"
*Young British Classical Performer — Daniel Harding
*Outstanding Contribution to Music — Nigel Kennedy

2001

Thursday May 31, 2001. Hosted by Katie Derham.

*Female Artist of the Year — Angela Gheorghiu
*Male Artist of the Year — Nigel Kennedy
*Album of the Year — Russell Watson — "The Voice"
*Ensemble/Orchestral Album of the Year — Sir Simon Rattle and Berliner Philharmoniker — "Mahler, 10th Symphony"
*Young British Classical Performer — Freddy Kempf
*Critics' Award — Sir Simon Rattle and Berliner Philarmoniker — "Mahler, 10th Symphony"
*Best-selling Debut Album — Russell Watson — "The Voice"
*Outstanding Contribution to Music — Sir Simon Rattle

2002

Wednesday May 23, 2002.

*Female Artist of the Year — Cecilia Bartoli
*Male Artist of the Year — Sir Colin Davis
*Album of the Year — Russell Watson — "Encore"
*Ensemble/Orchestral Album of the Year — Richard Hickox and London Symphony Orchestra — "Vaughan Williams, A London Symphony"
*Contemporary Music Award — Tan Dun — "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon"
*Young British Classical Performer — Guy Johnston
*Critics' Award — Sir Colin Davis and London Symphony Orchestra — "Berlioz, Les Troyens"
*Biggest-selling Classical Album — Russell Watson — "Encore"
*Outstanding Contribution to Music — Andrea Bocelli

2003

Thursday May 22, 2003. Hosted by Katie Derham.

*Female Artist of the Year — Renée Fleming
*Male Artist of the Year — Sir Simon Rattle
*Album of the Year — Andrea Bocelli — "Sentimento"
*Ensemble/Orchestral Album of the Year — Berliner Philharmoniker and Sir Simon Rattle — "Mahler, Symphony no. 5"
*Contemporary Music Award — Arvo Pärt — "Orient & Occident"
*Young British Classical Performer — Chloe Hanslip
*Critics' Award — Murray Perahia — "Chopin, Etudes Opus 10, Opus 25"
*Outstanding Contribution to Music — Cecilia Bartoli

2004

Wednesday May 26, 2004. Hosted by Katie Derham.

*Female Artist of the Year — Cecilia Bartoli
*Male Artist of the Year — Bryn Terfel
*Album of the Year — Bryn Terfel — "Bryn"
*Ensemble/Orchestral Album of the Year — Sir Simon Rattle and Vienna Philharmonic — "Beethoven Symphonies"
*Contemporary Music Award — Philip Glass — "The Hours"
*Young British Classical Performer — Daniel Hope
*Critics' Award — Vengerov, Rostropovich and London Symphony Orchestra — "Britten/Walton Concertos"
*Outstanding Contribution to Music — Renée Fleming

2005

Wednesday May 25, 2005. Hosted by Lesley Garrett.

*Female Artist of the Year — Marin Alsop
*Male Artist of the Year — Bryn Terfel
*Album of the Year — Katherine Jenkins — "Second Nature"
*Ensemble/Orchestral Album of the Year — Harry Christophers and The Sixteen — "Renaissance"
*Contemporary Music Award — John Adams — "On the Transmigration of Souls"
*Soundtrack Composer Award — John Williams — "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" and "The Terminal"
*Young British Classical Performer — Natalie Clein
*Critics' Award — Stephen Hough — "Rachmaninov Piano Concertos"
*Outstanding Contribution to Music — James Galway

2006

Thursday May 4, 2006. Hosted by Michael Parkinson.

*Singer of the Year — Andreas Scholl — "Arias for Senesino"
*Instrumentalist of the Year — Leif Ove Andsnes — "Rachmaninov Piano Concerto 1 and 2"
*Album of the Year — Katherine Jenkins — "Living A Dream"
*Ensemble/Orchestral Album of the Year — Takács Quartet — "Beethoven: The Late String Quartets"
*Contemporary Music Award — James MacMillan — "Symphony no 3, Silence"
*Soundtrack/Musical Theatre Composer Award — Dario Marianelli — "Pride & Prejudice"
*Young British Classical Performer — Alison Balsom
*Critics' Award — Royal Opera House Chorus and Orchestra, Plácido Domingo, Antonio Pappano — "Tristan and Isolde"
*Lifetime Achievement — Plácido Domingo

2007

Thursday May 3, 2007. Hosted by Fern Britton.

*Singer of the Year — Anna Netrebko — "Russian Album & Violetta"
*Instrumentalist of the Year — Leif Ove Andsnes — "Horizons"
*Album of the Year — Paul McCartney — "Ecce Cor Meum"
*Contemporary Composer of the Year — John Adams — "The Dharma at Big Sur/My Father knew Charles Ives"
*Classical Recording of the Year — Berliner Philharmoniker and Sir Simon Rattle - "Holst, The Planets"
*Soundtrack Composer of the Year — George Fenton — "Planet Earth"
*Young British Classical Performer — Ruth Palmer
*Critics' Award — Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, RIAS Kammerchor, Rene Jacobs — "Mozart, La Clemenza di Tito"
*Lifetime Achievement — Vernon Handley

2008

Thursday May 8, 2008. Hosted by Myleene Klass.
*Male of the Year — Sir Colin Davis
*Female of the Year — Anna Netrebko
*Young British Classical Performer — Nicola Benedetti
*Album of the Year — Blake — "Blake"
*Soundtrack of the Year — Blood Diamond — James Newton Howard
*Critics' Award — Steven Isserlis — "Bach: Cello Suites"
*Outstanding Contribution — Andrew Lloyd Webber

External links

* [http://classicalbrits.co.uk Classical Brits website]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/738856.stm 2000 Awards — BBC News]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/1363607.stm 2001 Awards — BBC News]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2005196.stm 2002 Awards — BBC News]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/2931456.stm 2003 Awards — BBC News]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/3750857.stm 2004 Awards — BBC News]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4579643.stm 2005 Awards — BBC News]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4973418.stm 2006 Awards — BBC News]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6619211.stm 2007 Awards — BBC News]
* [http://www.classicfm.com/sectional.asp?id=13616 2007 Awards — Classic FM]