Open letter to the BBC
We join musicians and music organisations across the country in expressing how devastated we are with the proposals to discontinue the BBC Singers and reduce funding for the BBC Orchestras by 20% at a time of such positive discussion about the National Plan for Music Education.
As the only full-time professional choir in the country, the BBC Singers have been a source of musical inspiration for many years. The choir devotes significant energy, time and resources to educational work, helping to engage the least privileged children in our country with music of all styles.
Alongside the BBC Singers, the BBC orchestras are at the heart of UK music making and a source of national pride, and many talented young musicians, including the pupils at The Yehudi Menuhin School, aspire to play with them in their professional careers. Music educators across the land rely on these ensembles as beacons of excellence to inspire pupils to strive for the highest levels of performance.
Of all organisations, The BBC, with its founding values to inform, educate and entertain, should recognise the importance of artistic institutions and the value they bring to all walks of life through their educational work and public performances.
We therefore call on the BBC to reconsider their proposals so that these ensembles can continue to inspire current and future generations of musicians and audiences.