The organisation, which dates back to 1944, is uniting all its activities under one familiar name – that of its much-admired and internationally renowned Ivor Novello Awards. Coinciding with the relaunch, The Ivors Academy is welcoming high profile writers including Ed Sheeran as new members.
The name-change is the start of an exciting drive to further build membership and champion the interest of music creators through its work in campaigning to protect and promote music creators, celebrating the achievements of outstanding songwriters and composers, and cultivating the next generation of talent.
Despite its lengthy history, most people are more familiar with the annual awards event it has staged since 1956, which has an unrivalled position within the music industry because winners are chosen by fellow music creators. The Ivors Academy has also presented the British Composer Awards since 2003 to celebrate excellence in contemporary classical and jazz composition. These awards will become The Ivors Composer Awards.
While the awards often highlight the work of household names, The Ivors Academy is also pushing hard to nurture the next generation of music creators as they negotiate the challenges of a changing industry. The BASCA Trust, which has awarded bursaries to up and coming writer-producers, will also become The Ivors Academy Trust and will expand its work further in the months ahead to develop and support UK talent.
CEO of The Ivors Academy, Graham Davies, says: ‘Ours is an amazing community of songwriters and composers. But the pipeline of our future talent faces an uncertain future as music is removed from education and opportunities to play and rehearse dry up. We are launching The Ivors Academy Trust to raise funds and work to safeguard the future of our industry. In the past the industry has spoken on behalf of creators, but The Ivors Academy will empower creators to raise their voice and speak up for themselves.’
The Ivors 2019 took place on Thursday 23 May at the Grosvenor House in London, hosted by Paul Gambaccini. Credit: Melissa Bradshaw, Rhinegold Media

Rupert and other team members at the Ivors Academy Launch Event earlier this year. Pictured: Orphy R, Issie B, Rupert H, Julia M, Crispin H, Mark A, William S, Helienne L, Martyne W, Jo T, Paul H - The Academy Launch Event (c) Will Strange. Picture Credit: BASCA/Ivors Academy