Flute virtuoso, composer and educator Gareth Lockrane is to become a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music, one of six alumni to receive the distinction as part of the Academy’s 2026 honours.
The Fellowship is reserved for former students who have made a significant contribution to musical life. Lockrane joins a cohort drawn from across the profession, with the honours to be conferred at the Academy’s Graduation Ceremony.
A leading figure in UK jazz for more than two decades, Lockrane studied on the Academy’s jazz course from 1994, where his teachers included Stan Sulzmann, Hugh Fraser and Eddie Parker. He has since established himself as one of Britain’s foremost jazz flautists and composers, noted for his work with Grooveyard, his large ensemble writing and a wide-ranging career spanning performance, composition and education. Check out a review of his big band album Box of Tricks below:
The Royal Academy’s announcement cites Lockrane’s achievement in winning the Best European Jazz Group award with his band Grooveyard, alongside his longstanding contribution to the institution as an educator.
Lockrane has headed the Junior Academy Jazz course since 2010 and has been closely involved in shaping the next generation of jazz musicians, while also teaching across several of the UK’s leading conservatoires. His work as a composer extends beyond jazz into film, documentary and animation.
Unlike Ron Burgundy, Gareth Lockrane definitely doesn’t dabble.
The 2026 Academy honours also include an honorary doctorate for theatre director Sir Trevor Nunn and Honorary Memberships for musicians including pianist Leif Ove Andsnes, conductor Elim Chan and violinists Vilde Frang and Elena Urioste.
For British jazz, Lockrane’s Fellowship recognises not only an exceptional instrumental voice but also a sustained commitment to education and the nurturing of young talent.
The Royal Academy of Music announced its 2026 honours on 24 June.
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Lockrane appeared at the concert reviewed above last summer that took place as part of Ireland’s leading jazz summer school and festival in Sligo. He returns to take his place in the tutors’ faculty for the 2026 edition next month.