(Credit: Royal Philharmonic Society official website)

The Royal Philharmonic Society has announced that it has awarded its Honorary Membership to the celebrated British mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly.

The Honorary Membership was presented to Dame Sarah Connolly by John Gilhooly OBE, Chair of the Royal Philharmonic Society and Director of the Wigmore Hall. The ceremony took place during Dame Connolly’s performance at the Wigmore Hall on Sept. 16, 2020.

“Today, on behalf the Society’s Board and advisory Council, we add Dame Sarah Connolly to this extraordinary roster. Sarah, I’m very pleased to make this award to you. Your definitive performances in operas internationally are too many to mention and you are equally treasured of course in performances with the leading orchestras and on the recital platform. You are an outspoken champion for the value of music in our lives, for singers and for a great many other causes. Sarah, you are very much loved and we award this to you with our affection, our gratitude, and every possible good wish for the future. Congratulations,” said John Gilhooly during the ceremony.

Famed recipients of RPS’ Honorary Membership include Felix Mendelssohn, Richard Wagner, Hector Berlioz, Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms, and Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky, among others.