OJ wins Classical Ivors Innovation Award

Matthew Herbert OJ (1983 – 1990), was awarded the Classical Ivors Innovation award for 2023 at BFI, South Bank Centre earlier this month. This was in recognition of his creative work as a composer and sound artist. The Classical Ivors are Classical Music’s equivalent of the Oscars for composers! The whole evening was recorded and is available on BBC Sounds.

INNOVATION AWARD in association with the Musicians’ Union
Matthew Herbert

The Innovation Award this year was awarded to British musician, DJ and producer Matthew Herbert, in recognition of his pioneering work in electronic music and his experimental use of unconventional sounds as instrumentation. He is renowned for mining audio from unique sources, including the environment, the human body, and animals (both dead and alive). His most recent album, The Horse, saw him construct instruments out of a full-sized horse skeleton and was met with critical acclaim. Previously, his work has featured in Eurovision, Yves St Laurent fashion shows, and several films.

This is Herbert’s first Ivor Novello Award.