York Early Music Festival Names Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient for 2025

Singer, broadcaster, and presenter Catherine Bott will receive the award

Established in 2006, the York Early Music Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award honors major figures in the early music scene who have made a substantial contribution to the field.

In 2025, the award will go to the singer, broadcaster, and presenter Catherine Bott. The award will be presented at this year's edition of the festival by the broadcaster and writer Lindsay Kemp, on July 6.

A graduate of London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Bott launched her singing career as a member of the Swingle Singers before undertaking a solo career specializing in early repertoire. She appeared in concert and on recordings alongside figures such as Christopher Hogwood, the Academy of Ancient Music, the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, and Stephen Cleobury, Philip Pickett, and Sir John Eliot Gardiner.

Between 2003 and 2013, she presented The Early Music Show on BBC Radio alongside Lucie Skeaping, and she has also presented at a number of BBC Proms concerts. In addition, she undertook a three-year presenting project with Classic FM that covered the entire history of Western art music.

Past recipients of the award include Barthold Kuijken, Dame Emma Kirkby, James Bowman, Jordi Savall, Andrew Parrott, Anthony Rooley, Trevor Pinnock, Catherine Mackintosh, and Crispian Steele-Perkins.

"I’m honored to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the pioneering York Early Music Festival, following in the footsteps of so many distinguished friends and colleagues from whom I’ve learnt so much," Bott said. "And I’m looking forward to returning to York for a lively weekend of music and conversation."