London’s premier contemporary music college LCCM hosted the inaugural UK Music OMG awards at its Music Box venue London, SE1 last week, recognising Outstanding Music Graduates.
UK Music, the official trade body for the British Music Industry, and invited guests from affiliated higher education providers (UK Music’s MAP network) gathered at the Music Box to toast the achievements of recent graduates and their nascent careers within the music industry. The overall winner, judged by UK Music’s Skills Programme Board, was Rebecca Rees a 2021 graduate from University of Gloucestershire who now works at Polydor Records.
The MAP network is a collaboration between educational institutions and the music industry members of UK Music, focused on linking industry and academia more effectively. Outstanding music graduates from the network have been recognised annually since 2016 (except in 2020 due to covid) but this year’s event at the Music Box was the first time UK Music have announced the winners at a stand-alone ceremony. The winner, two runners-up and two commendations were announced on the night by UK Music’s Director of Education Oliver Morris and Nina Radojewski, head of Professional Development at indie record label trade body the Association of Independent Music (AIM).
Drinks and nibbles were enjoyed by music industry guests as well as the nominees and their academic mentors. LCCM had two nominees in Rosie Reeves, 2018 graduate and analyst at Warner Chappell Publishing and Gabriel Robles Saenz who graduated in 2020 and has enjoyed music success on Spotify with his band The Good Manners and works at LCCM as a technician.
“I loved my time at LCCM and I absolutely couldn’t do my job now without the analytics module I studied in my final year,” said Rosie. “I was thrilled to be nominated as an outstanding music graduate.”
Elsewhere, Gabriel said: “I was gutted to miss the awards ceremony as I’m back home visiting family in Guatemala. I feel like I’m really missing out.”
Other universities there on the night included LIPA (Liverpool Institute of Performing Art), Southampton Solent, University of Hertfordshire, Birmingham City University, Leeds Beckett and University of Liverpool.
In his welcome speech LCCM Principal Anthony Hamer-Hodges remarked: “Music educators are like good record label A&Rs or Artist Managers, driven by the same urge – to find, inspire and champion great talent in all its forms. Celebrations like this make it all worthwhile when that talent and, by extension, those that have inspired them, are recognised. Congratulations to you all.”
UK Music is the collective voice of the UK’s world-leading music industry, representing all sectors of the industry and bringing them together to collaborate, campaign, and champion music. Its mission focuses on a range of areas including guiding policy makers, publishing research and being an advocate for copyright and related rights which underpin music.
Last month, LCCM announced Kofi Otuo, a first year BMUS Commercial Music Technology Student, as the winner of its full scholarship competition for 2021.
Kofi auditioned for the scholarship at a multidisciplinary live event at the college’s state-of-the-art Music Box venue in front of an audience, and the judging panel – the singer-songwriter Carmody and LCCM academics Austin Milne and Pat Cotton.