Australian conductor Richard Bonynge has been awarded the Petipa Award for the 2025–2026 season in recognition of his contribution to the preservation and rediscovery of classical ballet music.

Presented by the Petipa Ballet Association, the award acknowledges Bonynge’s longstanding commitment to restoring neglected and rarely performed scores, particularly from the 19th-century Romantic and late Romantic repertoire.

Through an extensive recording career, concert performances and scholarly engagement with the period, Bonynge has helped bring works by composers including Adolphe Adam, Léo Delibes, Ludwig Minkus and Riccardo Drigo back to prominence. His recordings have become important reference points for the study and performance of ballet music.

Richard Bonynge receiving the Petipa Award in London. Photo supplied

Bonynge’s nomination was put forward by members of the Association’s International Honorary Council, who recognised his decades-long dedication to safeguarding the musical heritage of classical ballet. The Council unanimously approved the award.

The presentation took place on 28 October at Australia House in London, during La Stupenda: The Voice of the Century, a gala organised by the Tait Memorial Trust to mark the centenary of Dame Joan Sutherland’s birth. The award was presented by Petipa Ballet Association president Stanislav Fečo.

The Association said Bonynge’s work highlighted the essential relationship between orchestral music and choreography in preserving the great works of the classical ballet repertoire.