The pianist Angela Hewitt has been awarded the Wigmore Medal on stage at Wigmore Hall after her all-Bach recital last Thursday, a concert broadcast live from an empty hall on BBC Radio 3 and streamed on the Wigmore Hall website. The Wigmore Medal was awarded in recognition of her international standing and contribution to the Hall, over the course of more than 80 performances since her Wigmore debut in 1985. (She had been due to receive the Medal from Wigmore Hall’s Royal Patron HRH The Duke of Kent at a public concert on June 2, before the Covid-19 pandemic required the Hall to close.)

The Wigmore Medal was inaugurated in 2007 and recognises major international artists and significant figures in the classical music world who have a strong association with the Hall. Past recipients include Iestyn Davies, Christian Gerhaher, Steven Isserlis, Dame Felicity Lott, Thomas Quasthoff, Menahem Pressler, Sir András Schiff and the Takács Quartet.

John Gilhooly, Wigmore Hall’s Artistic and Executive Director, said 'Angela is an exceptional artist, and her performances at Wigmore Hall have been characterised by a tireless curiosity, technical flair and an overriding sense of artistic integrity. I am very pleased that, despite the global health crisis, we found a way for Angela still to perform at the Hall this June and receive this well-deserved award.'

Gramophone’s James Jolly, who first interviewed Angela Hewitt in 1986 when her debut recording was released, spoke to her after Thursday’s concert: