Nordoff and Robbins O2 Silver Clef Awards moves to Wednesday evening for 2025 ceremony

13 November 2024 - Press release

 

• O2 Silver Clef Awards 2025 to take place on the evening of Wednesday 2 July from 6pm at JW Marriott Grosvenor House, London
• O2 returns as headline sponsor for 2025, its 24^th year of supporting the awards
• Early bird tickets now on sale

 

Nordoff and Robbins, the UK’s largest music therapy charity, has announced that the prestigious O2 Silver Clef Awards will be moving to a Wednesday evening for the first time in its 49-year history, returning to the JW Marriott Grosvenor House in London on Wednesday 2 July 2025, from 6pm.

An industry awards show with nearly five decades of history and heritage, the move to a Wednesday evening from a Friday lunch comes as, just like in the music industry, there has been a shift in culture and lifestyle since the pandemic. With the 50^th anniversary to come in 2026, there was no better time to make the change.

Early Bird tickets are on sale now for the 2025 ceremony, with all tables purchased before 31 January 2025 receiving a complimentary bottle of champagne. A split payment offer is also available, where the first 50% payment should be made on or before 31 January 2025 and the final payment should be made on or before 31 May 2025.

The O2 Silver Clef Awards is Nordoff and Robbins’ largest annual fundraising event. Since 1976, the awards have raised over £13.5 million for the charity and become one of the biggest highlights in the music industry calendar. O2 returns as headline sponsor for 2025, its 24^th year of supporting the awards.

Events like the O2 Silver Clef Awards have become more important than ever in helping Nordoff and Robbins to continue transforming people’s health and wellbeing through music. With the cost of running the charity and helping thousands of people a year now reaching almost £9 million annually, and costs rising in every corner from transport for music therapists and instruments for schools or care homes, to paying the electricity bills of its centres, the support of the music industry is critical to Nordoff and Robbins as it looks to reach even more people who need its services.

This year’s ceremony, which raised over £760,000, enough to pay for over 9,000 music therapy sessions, saw blur take home the coveted O2 Silver Clef Award. Previous legendary winners of the headline award include David Bowie, Annie Lennox, Ed Sheeran, Stormzy, Dame Shirley Bassey, Paul McCartney, George Michael, Kylie Minogue, The Rolling Stones, Oasis and Coldplay.

Other winners at the 2024 event included The 1975, Jessie Ware, Jacob Collier, Chaka Khan, AC/DC, Ezra Collective, Mark Knopfler, Cat Burns, Loyle Carner, Young Fathers and Texas. The star-studded event saw James Ford, Mica Paris, Chris Hawkins, Clara Amfo, Jamie Cullum, Edith Bowman, Chris Evans, Annie Mac, Athian Akec and Simon Moran all take to the stage to present awards. Winners for the 2025 O2 Silver Clef Awards will be announced in the coming months.

With a unique approach shaped by more than 60 years of practice, Nordoff and Robbins' trained music therapists use music to break through the barriers caused by life-limiting illness, disability, social isolation and mental health problems, creating space for people to express themselves and find connection in society. The charity reaches thousands of people through their bases across the UK, and by working in partnership with organisations including care homes, schools and hospitals.

Joe Munns, Chair of the O2 Silver Clef Awards Committee, said: “The O2 Silver Clef Awards are back, and for the first time ever, it’s an evening event! After 48 years of being held on a Friday afternoon, we are changing with the times and our industry, and we’re very excited to be able to welcome more of you than ever to this spectacular event. This is your chance to celebrate legendary artists, catch up with friends and colleagues, bid on exclusive items and raise a glass to the power of music, all in aid of Nordoff and Robbins’ vitally important work. With your help we raised over three quarters of a million in 2024, which is an incredible result, but more is needed. Let’s see if we can top that in 2025.”

Sandra Schembri, CEO of Nordoff and Robbins, said: “Since 1976, the O2 Silver Clef Awards has given Nordoff and Robbins a platform to showcase just how powerful music can be. We know through over 60 years of working with children and adults, and deep academic study, what works for people living with conditions such as autism, dementia and complex mental health problems. We are currently being hit by a triple threat: Growing demand, increasing costs and decreasing donations. We need the music industry’s support to ensure we can show up where we are needed. We thank the music industry, its leaders and the leaders of the future from the bottom of our hearts for their help in making sure we can continue our work and meet this growing demand for music therapy. Without their support, it would mean less people having access to the transformational power of music across the UK.”

 

To find out more and register your interest, visit https://www.nordoff-robbins.org.uk/events/o2-silver-clefs.