The vital cultural legacy of the BBC Singers and BBC Orchestras
Posted on 28th April 2023 at 16:02
BBC Symphony Orchestra of London rehearsing for the Last Night of the Proms.
If you’ve been following the news recently, you may have heard about some proposed cuts to the BBC’s orchestral music provision – including changes that would see a number of its salaried musicians made redundant. The proposals would have seen the BBC Singers, the UK’s only full-time professional chamber choir, scrapped. Further proposals, which received less public attention, included a 20% reduction in funding for the BBC’s three England-based orchestras: the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the BBC Concert Orchestra, and the BBC Philharmonic.
The announcement sent shockwaves through the UK music world, with many organisations leaping into action to campaign against the cuts.
Here at the Music Workshop Company, along with others across the sector, we firmly believe the BBC Singers and the BBC’s orchestras are vital for inspiring young musicians.