Oboist and conductor Nicholas Daniel has been named the 2011 recipient of The Queen’s Medal for Music and will receive his award from The Queen later in the year. Master of The Queen’s Music Sir Peter Maxwell Davies will also make a presentation to Daniel on January 29 at a concert at King’s College, Cambridge.

Daniel is the seventh winner of the award, which was established in 2005 for 'an outstanding individual or group of musicians who have had a major influence on the musical life of the nation'. Previous recipients are Sir Charles Mackerras, Bryn Terfel, Judith Weir, Kathryn Tickell, Sir Colin Davis and Dame Emma Kirkby.

‘I feel deeply honoured and truly delighted to receive The Queen’s Medal for Music in this exciting year for Great Britain: the year of Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee and the 2012 Olympics,’ he said. ‘As a performer my job is to serve the composers I perform as best I can, so to have my vocation acknowledged in this way is really wonderful. As a solo oboist, chamber musician, conductor and teacher, I have been extremely privileged to have worked and to continue to work with so many great musicians, especially composers.’

Nicholas Daniel, who this year celebrates his 50th birthday, began his career at age 18 when he won the 1980 BBC Young Musician of the Year Competition. Associate artistic director of the Britten Sinfonia, he is a founder member of the Haffner Wind Ensemble and the Britten Oboe Quartet, and is artistic director of the Leicester International Festival.