| Joshua Bell awarded honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to Music |
 Joshua Bell (photo: Sebastian Madej) (October 2025) — “A true artist and intellectual whose music feeds both your brain and your heart” (Newsweek), Grammy-winning violinist and conductor Joshua Bell, now in his 14th season as Music Director of London’s Academy of St Martin in the Fields, has been awarded an honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to Music. This prestigious honour has been conferred by His Majesty The King on the advice of the UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. Bell commented:“This is a profound and wholly unexpected honour. Leading the Academy of St Martin in the Fields for nearly 15 years has been one of the great privileges of my career. This extraordinary orchestra has always made me — an American from Indiana — feel at home in a country so rich in history and tradition. To be recognized now as a CBE deepens the sense of kinship I feel with both my orchestra and the United Kingdom. I could not be more grateful for this distinction, which stands as a testament to the many years of music-making I’ve been fortunate to share with these remarkable musicians.”ASMF clarinettist and trustee Tom Lessels added:”With Joshua leading us from within we have a recipe that results in concerts of unparalleled vitality and virtuosity. He demands the same unrelenting levels of focus and commitment of us that have long been a hallmark of his own playing and, without exception, we leave the stage feeling that we have given a performance as if our lives depended on it. He challenges us to listen harder and work harder, but is also incredibly generous as both a musician and person, and we are all stronger and more fulfilled musicians as a result. In the years since Joshua officially joined the ASMF family, his leadership has elevated our understanding of orchestral playing, our abilities as a collective ensemble and our international standing to new heights. We can’t wait to see what the next chapter in our relationship holds!”ASMF’s Chief Executive, Annie Lydford, agreed:”The Academy of St Martin in the Fields stands, we feel, among the UK’s most important cultural institutions and global ambassadors. Deeply embedded in the musical life of London and the UK, we are proud to represent our country on the world stage – with over 70 international performances across eleven countries in the 2025–26 season alone, many under the direction of Joshua Bell. This recognition is a testament not only to Joshua’s extraordinary artistry but also to his inspiring leadership of this remarkable group of musicians.”In the 2025–26 season, Bell leads ASMF on extensive tours in both Europe and the U.S., including performance at London’s Cadogan Hall (Jan 20) and New York’s Carnegie Hall (March 5). Both tours will feature Schumann’s “Spring” Symphony and Brahms’s Violin Concerto, with Bell leading the orchestra from the first violin chair in the former and serving as soloist for the latter. Formed by Sir Neville Marriner in 1958, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields is one of the world’s most celebrated orchestras, renowned for its fresh, brilliant sound and pioneering spirit. Based in London, the orchestra performs extensively across the UK and internationally, collaborating with leading soloists and continuing to inspire audiences worldwide. Since succeeding Marriner as Music Director in 2011, Bell has “brought a new bite and vigour to the band’s well-established aristocratic nobility” that makes for “captivating music-making” (The Scotsman). As the UK’s Arts Desk puts it: “Who needs a conductor with a leader-soloist of this calibre?” Indeed, the success of the partnership has been recognised with a Grammy nomination and the extension of Bell’s contract through the 2027-28 season. The position of the Music Director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields is generously supported by the Berry Charitable Foundation. |
