Page 83 - RPS Awards 2023 Coverage Book

'Second, we are doubling our investment in music education. Last week, research
from the RPO showed that eight in 10 schoolchildren felt much more could be done
to get young people into orchestral music. Speaking at the RPS Awards, John
Gilhooly called for us all to understand the challenges schools face and work
together to address them.

'The BBC is determined to play our fullest possible part. Working closely with
partners, this Autumn will see the launch of a major nationwide music education offer
which aims to reach every school-age child in the UK through online, broadcast, and
live performance.

'Third, we are investing in choral singing across the UK. We believe it’s essential that
the BBC supports more broadcast opportunities from a greater range of high-quality
ensembles. That’s why we have made the difficult decision to close the BBC
Singers, and invest our limited resources in a wider pool of choral groups around the
country.

'Supporting emerging and diverse choirs is also vital to engaging more and different
future audiences. So the BBC will establish a new nationwide choral development
programme, building on the BBC Singers’ community work around London’s East
Bank – the home of the new BBC Music Studios from 2025.

'There is plenty more in our strategy. We will create a new digital home for our
orchestras, giving audiences access to the full range of orchestral content, new and
from the archive, all in one place. We will build on the incredible success of our five
orchestras, championing the unique place of each in the UK’s cultural landscape. We
will convene a new Classical Advisory Group of leaders from across the industry to
advise us on how best to work with the sector.

'The question I have sought to answer is; how do we best spend the resources we
have, your money as licence-fee payers, that is entrusted to us as public service
broadcasters, on the highest quality music for the widest possible audience? As I
took on this new job there was no doubt that difficult decisions would have to be
made, and at the heart of this role lie our musicians and our ensembles.

'To close one of those ensembles is without doubt the hardest thing I have had to do
in my career. But we have to address the need for change in how we work, and the
longer we leave that the harder it will become to find the change that secures the
future of high quality live performance of classical music for the BBC. Objectively I
can see that the new strategy serves our audiences better; personally I see the
changes this brings for individual musicians, for colleagues and friends and I want to
take this opportunity to thank all our brilliant musicians for their contribution to the
success of our classical music offer, past, present and future.

'The BBC remains the biggest commissioner of music and one of the biggest
employers of musicians in this country. We have a critical part to play for a thriving
classical sector. It is our duty to safeguard that role for the future, and deliver our
mission on a sustainable financial footing.