The BBC and the VOCES8 Foundation have announced in press statements that they will jointly run the BBC Singers. It was “almost scrapped” last year as part of planned austerity measures at the BBC, prompting a hugely negative reaction from the music public.
The future of the BBC Singers, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, although it was threatened with extinction last year, is a little brighter since yesterday.
The British public television and radio company BBC published on its website yesterday declaration, in which she announced that she would share the choir’s future funding with the VOCES8 Foundation. This foundation also on its own pages informed regarding the new agreement. The BBC Singers will continue to be employees of the BBC and part of the BBC Proms festival as well as BBC Radio 3.
“As a global, artist-led charity that spreads inspiration through choral music, the VOCES8 Foundation sought a positive outcome from the negotiations on the future of the BBC Singers. (…) We look forward to working with the BBC Singers to demonstrate the positive impact choral music can have on communities in the UK and around the world in the 21st century,” said Paul Smith and Barnaby Smith in a statement from the foundation, which is associated with one of the world’s leading chamber choirs VOCES8 and the renowned vocal quintet Apollo5.
The BBC has also announced that it is working with the Musicians’ Union on other possibilities for applying its orchestras. They were also threatened with large-scale cuts last year: the BBC considered cutting paid orchestral posts by 20%. Strong opposition from the music public arose once morest these intended savings.
In an open letter, conductors working with the BBC themselves criticized the proposal, including Ryan Bancroft, Sakari Oramo, Dalia Stasevska and Semjon Byčkov. It was also created once morest the cuts patch, which collected over 150,000 signatures. The BBC eventually shelved its plans under this pressure and began “exploring alternative options”.
Opening photo: BBC Singers and Simon Rattle (©Mark Allan)
