Refugee crisis and ancient artefacts among inspiration for new musical premieres on BBC Radio 3

• Six new commissions for amateur orchestras to be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in January
• Commissioned as part of the 17th year of Making Music’s Adopt a Composer
• More new works to receive performance premieres in spring/summer 2017

Making Music announces the radio premiere of six new musical works this January, scheduled for broadcast on BBC Radio 3 over the course of one week, from 23-27 January.

These new works are the product of Making Music’s popular Adopt a Composer scheme, which has been running annually since 2000. The scheme pairs innovative new composers with selected amateur orchestras over a period of several months, to create new scores.

Adopt a Composer challenges both amateur orchestra and composer to respond to the requirments and skills of one another, with fascinating musical results. The 2015/16 pairings draw on broad inspirations - from a collection of artefacts discovered by a lorry driver in 1940 (The Thame Hoard by Neil Tomas Smith), to today’s ongoing refugee crisis (Journeys by Alison Willis).

BBC Radio 3 will broadcast the works on the following dates:

Mon 23 Jan 9:20pm – Thame Chamber Choir with Neil Tomas Smith and the Jan Modelski Community Orchestra with Chris Hutchings

Tue 24 Jan 9:30pm – Chiltern Youth Chamber Orchestra with Alison Willis

Wed 25 Jan 9:30pm – La Nova Singers with Ed Scolding

Thu 26 Jan 9:25pm – Lincoln Ukulele Band with Angela Slater

Fri 27 Jan 9:40pm – East London Community Band with Lee Westwood

This year’s 2016/2017 pairings will be performed at concerts in springand summer 2017. Performance details for these concerts can be found in notes to editors.

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IMAGES & VIDEO:

• Watch the Adopt a Composer trailer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6VpUWxpYrs
• Download Adopt a Composer press images from http://makingmusic.org.uk/sites/makingmusic.org.uk/files/pictures/PR/Adopt a Composer press images.7z

For more information contact George Acock, Publications and PR Manager at george@makingmusic.org.uk / 020 7939 6041

Making Music, 8 Holyrood Street, London, SE1 2EL

info@makingmusic.org.uk www.makingmusic.org.uk

Making Music, The National Federation of Music Societies
A company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales no. 308632
Registered Charity in England and Wales no. 249219 and in Scotland no. SC038849

Notes to editors:

The 2016/17 Adopt a Composer scores will have their performance premiere on the following dates:

26 Mar, 7pm at Killearn Kirk, Glasgow G63 9NJ

Strathendrick Singers with Aran Browning

27 May, 8pm at Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum
Glasgow School of Art Choir with Shona Mackay

01 July, 7.30pm at Croydon Minster, Croydon
Croydon Bach Choir with Mark Boden

01 July, 7.30pm at The Capitol, Horsham

Horsham Symphony Orchestra with Adriano Adewale

02 July, 6pm at St Mary Brookfield, London NW5 1SL
London Medical Orchestra with Martin Humphries

Adopt a Composer is run by Making Music in partnership with Sound and Music (the national agency for new music), in association with BBC Radio 3, and funded by PRS For Music Foundation and the Philip and Dorothy Green Music Trust. For the first time this year Creative Scotland has provided additional funding for a Scottish project. Since it was launched in 2000, Adopt a Composer has produced over 89 new commissions, with many of the composers going on to have success nationally and internationally.

Since 1935, Making Music has been the membership organisation for amateur music in the UK, bringing together musicians and music groups of all genres and abilities. We support, connect and champion everyone who makes, performs and presents music on a voluntary basis. The services we provide allow our members – ranging from symphony orchestras to samba bands – to cross the boring things off their ‘to-do’ lists and get on with making music. As the voice of amateur music among policy makers and stakeholders at a national and regional level, we aim to transform lives and enrich communities across the UK through music making.

www.makingmusic.org.uk

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