Folded Wing’s BBC Radio 3 show Round Midnight has been named Jazz Media Award winner at the 2025 Parliamentary Jazz Awards.
Hosted by saxophonist and composer Soweto Kinch, the late-night weekday show launched last year and has become BBC Radio 3’s flagship jazz programme, blending live sessions, festival recordings and new music from the UK and beyond.
The Parliamentary Jazz Awards recognise the breadth and creativity of the British jazz scene, celebrating artists, broadcasters and producers who champion the genre.
Karen Pearson, CEO and Founder of Folded Wing, said the team were proud of the recognition. “To be nominated for Round Midnight in its first year of programming is testament to the hard work the Folded Wing team and Soweto put in each night.
Thank you to the listeners, the jazz world for embracing and supporting the show and BBC Radio 3 and Sam Jackson for believing in us.”
Sam Jackson, Controller of BBC Radio 3 and BBC Proms, added that Round Midnight had “gone from strength to strength”, calling the award “a richly deserved reflection of their hard work, creativity, and commitment to the vibrant British jazz scene”.
The show’s collaboration with BBC Introducing has helped spotlight emerging musicians, with guests such as corto.alto and Emma Rawicz later earning national recognition and award wins. Other guests this year have included Zara McFarlane, Mark Kavuma, and Rivkala, alongside international names like Theo Croker and Joe Webb.
Folded Wing, based in Southend, with team members in London, Coventry, Oxford and Newcastle, is known for producing programmes across BBC networks and beyond. The company continues to grow its reputation as one of the UK’s most active producers of jazz content.
Two Southend-connected artists also featured among this year’s nominees: saxophonist Maddy Coombs and vocalist Olivia Cuttill, who won The Martin Hummel Award, both of whom performed at last week’s Southend Jazz Festival in association with Folded Wing.
This story first appeared on radiotoday.co.uk