Royal Opera House music director Sir Antonio Pappano was presented with the Incorporated Society of Musicians’ Distinguished Musician Award for 2012 yesterday. Established in 1976, the award recognises outstanding contributions to musical life in the UK. Previous recipients have included Dame Janet Baker, Pierre Boulez, Jacqueline du Pré, Sir William Walton, Sir Simon Rattle, Sir Colin Davis and Sir Peter Maxwell Davies.

‘When I perused the list of previous ISM Award recipients I gulped!’ said Pappano. ‘To be included in such an illustrious pantheon is an honour. The Society does crucial work to keep classical music alive, well and relevant in this country, especially for young people, so I am very proud indeed to be associated with it.’

The Incorporated Society of Musicians is the UK’s professional body for musicians, working ‘to promote the art of music and champion the interests of musicians, raising professional standards, and providing legal advice and other benefits to its members’.

Sir Antonio Pappano became music director of The Royal Opera in 2002 and of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome in October 2005.