Month: January 2021
Robert Mitchell, Chair of The Ivors Academy Educational Publishing Working Group, composer, musician and Piano Professor, said: “I welcome the statement, but we didn’t need to be here. The reinstatement of Jazz and Courtney Pine should be immediate. We are very keen to contribute to broadening the music A-level syllabus for Edexcel. The same goes for […]
The announcement from the examination body Pearson Edexcel that they are cutting Courtney Pine CBE, both the only black composer and Jazz, from their A-level Music syllabus-right at the start of 2021 is appalling. It is a tragedy for young students taking an exam that might determine their long-term futures in the arts. This comes […]
Gerry Marsden MBE was a member of The Ivors Academy for many years, who in 1991 was presented with a Gold Badge Award to recognise his extraordinary contribution to British songwriting. In a personal tribute, Gerry and the Pacemakers writer and friend Mitch Murray CBE shares memories of working with the songwriter: I’ll always have […]
Despite the challenges we face I would like to wish you a happy new year. I know that this is not the start to 2021 that we all hoped for, and we are facing greater restrictions and challenges than we expected, but the new year also brings hope. We are committed to supporting you and […]
In this personal tribute, Mitch Murray CBE reflects on the multi Ivor Novello Award winners extraordinary career. Geoff Stephens, like many of us who started out in the early sixties, was a songwriter – not a ‘singer-songwriter’, but a professional and gifted specialist who crafted both words and music for the pop market, aimed at […]
