BBC Singers choir to be closed down as part of ‘future proofing’ strategy
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The BBC Singers choir – the UK’s only professional full-time chamber choir – will be closed after almost 100 years as part of a “devastating” round of cuts.
The salary bill of the corporation’s three English orchestras – the BBC Philharmonic, The BBC Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Concert Orchestra – will also be cut by 20 per cent.
This means a large number of redundancies – the BBC is seeking voluntary redundancies – with permanent members replaced by freelance musicians.
“This is the first major review of classical music at the BBC in a generation. This new strategy is bold, ambitious, and good for the sector and for audiences who love classical music,” said Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s chief content officer.
“That doesn’t mean that we haven’t had to make some difficult decisions, but equally they are the right ones for the future.”
The BBC said that using freelance musicians when needed would be more “flexible and adaptable”, creating “agile ensembles that can work creatively”.
The BBC Singers were formed in 1924 as the Wireless Chorus. Based at the BBC’s Maida Vale studios, they perform each year at the Proms and also give free concerts around the country including outreach work in schools.
Closing them down will enable the BBC “to invest more widely in the future of choral singing across the UK, working with a wide range of choral groups alongside launching a major choral development programme for new talent”, the corporation said.
Simon Webb, the BBC’s head of orchestras and choirs, said it was “a very painful decision” to close the choir, which will result in the loss of 20 jobs.
“It is not a decision any of us particularly were looking to make but the question we ask consistently is: how do we best invest the resources that we have, that deliver for our audiences?” he said.
“We looked very carefully at the numbers and how that work is delivered. The work that singers do is very high quality – this is not a question of quality.”
The changes are about “future-proofing our offer” past the current licence fee settlement, which provides funding to 2027, Webb said.
Under the proposals, the BBC Concert and Symphony orchestras will be run by a single director, although Webb insisted that they would maintain their separate identities.
The Musicians’ Union is now holding talks with BBC management. Naomi Pohl, general secretary of the union described the proposed cuts as “utterly devastating”.
She said: “The BBC Performing Groups are vital to the BBC in our view. They are busy, they perform a wide range of roles across numerous high-profile programmes and events and they also already contribute to music education. The hundreds of singers and musicians they employ will be very concerned about their futures today and we will support them and stand with them to push back against these proposals.
“We will fight for every job. This will mean working with the BBC to look at alternative measures, representing affected individuals and also calling on the Government to step in with more support.”
Jo Laverty, who is responsible for orchestras within the Musicians’ Union said: “The BBC Performing Groups are a key asset that sets the BBC apart from commercial broadcasters, and the BBC’s recent Classical Music Review gave the impression this was well understood and indicated a full commitment from the broadcaster to their ongoing employment.
“To now hear of potential redundancies across the BBC orchestras in England and the closure of the Singers as a performing group is unthinkable.
“The BBC Orchestras and Singers and the exceptional quality of their live and broadcast output ensure that the BBC remains one of the most significant players in the classical music industry, both in the UK and internationally.
“They also make a crucial contribution in meeting the public purposes of the BBC’s royal charter by providing education and learning, stimulating creativity and cultural excellence whilst serving the UK’s nations, regions and communities.
“The Musicians’ Union does not think that these proposals are the answer to the BBC’s need to find savings. The MU’s key focus will be on talking regularly and working with the BBC to avoid any loss of jobs and challenging them to find alternative solutions.”
The BBC Welsh and Scottish orchestras will remain unchanged.
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