John Cameron

The International Peace Festival | Festival International de la Paix Awards Committee is honoured to announce the recipient of the 2022-2023 Lifetime Achievement Award in Music to be conferred on British composer, arranger, conductor and musician, John Cameron, at the IPF | FIP Awards Ceremony to be held in Toronto, Canada, on September 25, 2022.

Mr. Cameron’s composing and arranging covers an amazing array of music genres, from rock, soul, jazz and folk music, through electronic, world, orchestral and choral music, working in film, television, theatre of all kinds, and recording.

One of the most versatile contemporary composers, Academy-nominated John Cameron created the musical score for every version of Les Misérables from the original Robert Hossein production in 1980 through the RSC, Broadway, tour and concert versions. He won the New York Drama Desk Award for Les Mis in 1986 and the National Broadway Theatre Award in 2002. The New York cast album won a Grammy.

Mr. Cameron is well known for his many film, TV and stage credits and for his contributions to pop recordings. His credit list as the recipient of many awards and accolades includes:
- Film: Over 50 Film Scores including Oscar Nomination: A Touch of Class (Best Original Score), Kes (no.7 in BFI list of Best 100 British films of 20th Century);
- TV Scores include Emmy Nomination: The Path to 9/11 (Outstanding Music Composition For A Mini-Series, Movie Or A Special – Original Dramatic Score);
- Theatre: New York Drama Desk Award: Best Orchestration: Les Miserables National Broadway Theatre - Award: Best Score: Les Miserables Grammy – Best Musical Cast Show: Les Miserables Symphonic Album (Orchestral Score John Cameron)
- Olivier Nomination: Best New Musical: Zorro (Co-Composer)
- Golden Lion Award (China): Nils’ Wonderful Adventure (Composer, Original English
- Lyrics, Best Children’s Musical) Other shows arranged/orchestrated include Honk! (Olivier Award Best New Musical 2000), Spend Spend Spend (Best Musical – London Evening Standard Theatre Awards and Critics Circle Theatre Awards), Mutiny! (Ivor Novello Nomination Best Musical);
- Songwriting Hits (Top 20): If I Thought You’d Ever Change your Mind (Cilla Black, Agnetha Faltskog), Sweet Inspiration (Johnny Johnson & The Bandwagon), Tap Turns On The Water, Brother (CCS), Na-na-na-na (Cozy Powell);
- Top 20 Hits as Arranger: Sunshine Superman, Jennifer Juniper, Epistle to Dippy (Donovan), Whole Lotta Love, Walking (CCS), Brother Louie, Emma, Disco Queen, A Child’s Prayer, You Sexy Thing, So You Win Again, Every 1’s A Winner, Man To Man, Put You Together Again (Hot Chocolate), Boogie Nights, Too Hot To Handle, The Groove Line, Mind Blowing Decisions, Always and Forever, Gangsters of the Groove (Heatwave), Silver Dream Machine, Tahiti (David Essex);
- Classical Recordings include Passion: Jose Carreras (Arranger/Executive Musical Director) #1 Billboard Classical Album Chart, and contributions to Choir of New College Oxford’s Agnus Dei recordings including Lux Aeterna (Winner – Best Selling Disc – Gramophone Awards 1997).

Through his artistic versatility, Mr. Cameron has shown the degree to which music can serve as a tool for peace and as an ideal conduit for communication that brings people together and helps them become more engaged. His choral setting of “Nimrod” from Sir Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations, for instance, has been described as one of those very special moments in music that stops you in your tracks. This stirring rendition of Elgar’s abiding melody “Nimrod,” has since been performed as a tribute on Armistice Day by British ensemble VOCES8 who, through music, pay their respects to the veterans who served in the First World War, and all subsequent wars involving British and Commonwealth troops.

We take this opportunity to praise and honour Mr. Cameron for his dedication and achievements as a musical artist and for his outstanding contributions to many music libraries. A true musical genius is someone whose music you remember long after you have caught the last bus home. Music you remember days or weeks after and pause and say to yourself. “You know, that music was pretty good wasn’t it?” And that is John Cameron. A true musical genius whose many contributions in music-making communicate the spirit of world peace and continue to enrich the world with the power to heal, inspire, provoke, challenge and offer hope.