In 2001 Julian, an Honoured Friend, was granted the first busker’s licence on the London Underground, as he launched the scheme to award licences to approved buskers. He has campaigned tirelessly against cuts in music education and has represented the music sector on many TV and radio programmes. 

He became the public spokesperson for the charity Live Music Now in 2014 and received the Incorporated Society of Musicians Distinguished Musician Award. A former principal of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Julian Lloyd Webber has won many awards including the Crystal Award, the Classic FM Award for Outstanding Services to Music, and was the only classical musician chosen to play at the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony. 

He was made an OBE in the 2021 Queen’s Birthday Honours list. 

Mike Read