The Royal Philharmonic Society, in London, has this week announced legendary composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim as an Honorary Member of the Society - in recognition of his outstanding services to music.

Maestro Sondheim is the recipient of 8 Grammy Awards, 8 Tony Awards, a Pulitzer Prize -  and an Academy Award.

His remarkable repertory includes West Side Story, Sweeney Todd, Follies, Company, Into The Woods, A Little Night Music, Merrily We Roll Along, Sunday in the Park with George and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

"Stephen Sondheim's work is transcendent ... in its musical sophistication and depth of thought, it has inspired audiences internationally, and generations of professional and amateur performers alike," Royal Philharmonic Society Chair John Gilhooly has said.

First awarded in 1826, previous honorary members include Mendelssohn, Berlioz, Liszt, Wagner, Brahms, Dvorak, Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Richard Strauss, Ravel, Stravinsky, Sibelius, Copland, Yehudi Menuhin, Boulez ... and more recently Dame Evelyn Glennie, Marin Alsop, Stephen Hough and Sir George Benjamin.