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Max Richter to Receive Ivor Novello Innovation Award

The Ivors Academy has revealed that Max Richter is to be given the Ivor Novello Award for Innovation. The honour celebrates his creative originality and the way his work has reshaped contemporary classical music. Richter is expected to accept the prize in person at The Ivors Composer Awards on 17th November 2026, held at Grosvenor House in London.

Richter's music has drawn more than four billion streams worldwide, and he is often described as one of the most influential figures in modern composition. His sound brings together classical traditions, minimalism, electronic textures and sound design. He has written for major concert halls, created ballet scores and produced celebrated film soundtracks, among them his recent score for Chloé Zhao's Hamnet, as well as earlier work on Mary Queen of Scots and Ad Astra.

By joining the ranks of Innovation recipients, Richter follows past winners such as Anoushka Shankar, Gavin Bryars, Matthew Herbert and Talvin Singh. Lord Neri, CEO of The Ivors Academy, praised Richter for widening what modern composition can reach and achieve, while Academy Chair Tom Gray pointed to his knack for building a wholly original musical language across very different art forms.

The news lands only days before Richter's new studio album, While The Flood Rages, is released on 16th October through Decca Records. The record contains music from MaddAddam, his most recent ballet project with choreographer Wayne McGregor, which takes on ecological crisis, rapid technological change and human connection.

The Ivors Composer Awards will sit at the heart of the first ever Ivors Composer Week, running from 16th to 20th November. Presented by radio host Petroc Trelawny in association with BBC Radio 3, the week is designed to spotlight compositional talent from the UK and Ireland, with the first Ivors Academy Composer Summit at the Royal Institution on 18th November as a key moment.

Photo: Music-News
Source: Muzland
Added by Frank
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