Arts professionals recognised in New Year honours

A host of UK-based authors, dancers, musicians and museum professionals are among those to be recognised in 2019’s New Year honours. 

Dancer and choreographer Richard Alston, who stepped down as Artistic Director of The Place last year after 24 years in the role, is among the arts professionals to have been awarded a knighthood. He is joined by author Philip Pullman and Ian Blatchford, Director of the Science Museum Group. Model Lesley Lawson, also known as Twiggy, has been made a Dame for services to fashion, arts and charity.

CBEs have been awarded to the Chair of Arts & Business Scotland, Diana Murray, for services to the cultural and environment in Scotland; artist Yinka Shonibare; choreographer Anthony Van Laast; and actress Sophie Okonedo.

Other notable arts figures among the 1,148 people to receive honours include Professor Veronica Lewis, formerly joint principal at the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama, who receives a CBE; and Andrew Nairne, Director of Cambridge’s Kettle’s Yard and formerly Executive Director for Arts at Arts Council England, who receives an OBE. 

Natasha Bucknor, Executive Director at Talawa Theatre; Vivien Wallace, Executive Director of Development of The Old Vic; and Andria Zafirakou, the London art teacher who won the 2018 Global Teacher Prize, have all received MBEs.

OBEs have also been awarded to artist Sonia Boyce, Professor of Black Art and Design at University of the Arts London; Tommy Smith, Artistic Director of the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra; and Ballet Cymru’s Artistic Director Darius James.

The full list is below:

Dames and Knighthoods

• Dancer and choreographer Richard Alston
• Ian Blatchford, Director of the Science Museum Group
• Author Philip Pullman
• Model Lesley Lawson (Twiggy)
• Former solicitor John Lewis, for services to arts and philanthropy

CBE

• Violinist Nicola Benedetti
• Artist Tacita Dean
• Author Julia Donaldson
• David Gothard, former Director of Riverside Studios,
• Professor Veronica Lewis, formerly Joint Principal at the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama
• Pink Floyd drummer Nicholas Mason
• Diana Murray, Chair of Arts & Business Scotland
• Actress Sophie Okonedo
• Musician and composer Nitin Sawhney 
• Artist Yinka Shonibare
• Choreographer Anthony Van Laast
• Artist Gillian Wearing

OBEs

• Artist Sonia Boyce
• Actor Jim Carter
• Producer Farooq Ur Rehman Chaudhry
• Production designer Bunny (Karen Anne) Christie
• Lady Lucy French, NeverSuchInnocence CEO
• Malcolm Arthur Colson Hay, Curator at the Parliamentary Art Collection
• Director Alby (Albert) James
• Helen Margaret Maclagan, Director of Culture for UK’s branch of UNESCO
• Andrew Nairne, Kettle’s Yard Director
• Actress Thandie Newton
• Cornelius Michael O'Connor, Deputy Director of the National Army Museum
• Illustrator Christopher Barry Riddell
• Tommy Smith, Artistic Director of Scottish National Jazz Orchestra
• Composer Professor Shirley J Thompson
• Sculptor Alison Mary Wilding
• Darius James, Ballet Cymru Artistic Director

MBEs

• Dancer Sujata Banerjee
• Classical Pianist Christian Charles Blackshaw
• Elizabeth Tarn Booth, Former Headteacher at Dalmain Primary School (for arts services)
• Natasha Bucknor, Executive Director at Talawa Theatre 
• Choral conductor Stephen Darlington
• Ann Veronica Dumas, Curator at the Royal Academy of Arts
• Teresa Eiles, Founder of Theatre Peckham
• Stephen Foster, Founding Chair of Southampton Heritage and Arts People
• Guitarist Gordon Giltrap
• Singer and former Fame Academy judge David Grant
• Sharon Granville, Executive Director at Museum of Liverpool
• Portrait painter David Griffiths
• Conductor David Hill
• Karen Humphreys, Lecturer at Royal Northern College of Music
• Chief Executive of Into Film, Paul Reeve
• Sculptor Robert Kneale
• Poet and playwright Carol Anne Leeming
• Highland dancer Margaret McLellan
• Andrea Nixon, Former Executive Director at Tate Liverpool
• Dancer and choreographer Pratap Pawar
• Musical theatre director Wilfred Pyper
• Cellist Jacqueline Tyler 
• Artist Barbara Walker
• Vivien Wallace, Executive Director of Development at The Old Vic
• Neil Warnock, Global Head of Touring for United Talent Agency (UTA)
• Storyteller Liz Weir
• Ros Westwood, Derbyshire Museums Manager
• Tim Yealland, Head of Education at English Touring Opera
• Dancer Anita Margaret Young
• Art teacher Andria Zafirakou