BBC Music Day, a UK and Channel Islands celebration of music, returns for 2016
BBC Music has today announced that BBC Music Day is returning for its second year on Friday 3 June 2016, celebrating all types of music from around the UK and the Channel Islands.
Published: 7 April 2016
BBC Music Day is a unique opportunity for people to celebrate music and musical talent, whether attending one of the many events taking place or tuning in at home.
Bringing live music to people through an exciting range of events around the theme of collaboration, it aims to unite communities across different generations. BBC Music Day will feature broadcasts across BBC TV, Radio and digital services from 6am to midnight.
As part of BBC Music Day, BBC Music, BBC Local Radio, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Radio Ulster are launching a search for Unsung Heroes. This is a UK and Channel Islands-wide search to find music champions who have made, and continue to make, a huge difference to people’s lives through music in their community.
Unsung Hero is about looking for people who have made a positive and ongoing contribution to bring communities together though music – whatever the genre – from running choirs, orchestras, youth music projects, to initiatives for older people. BBC Music and BBC Local Radio want to hear from you if you know someone who deserves recognition.
Bob Shennan, Director of BBC Music, says: “BBC Music Day is a unique opportunity for people to celebrate music and musical talent, whether attending one of the many events taking place or tuning in at home. BBC Music Day is for everyone - it’s time for the UK and Channel Islands to bring live music into their lives wherever they are.”
Hannah Brine, a 2015 Unsung Hero, says: “Winning Unsung Hero last year was a real morale boost for everyone involved in the choir! All the singers are enthusiastic, hardworking and dedicated, and we're so lucky to have been brought together through our shared love of music. There are so many skills and talents between us, and the choir is a real group effort resulting in something very special. We were very proud to be recognised by BBC Music Day.”
Registration for nominations will be open from Saturday 9 April to Friday 22 April 2016 on the BBC Music Day website, bbc.co.uk/musicday.
The winners will be announced on BBC Radio 2’s Steve Wright In The Afternoon show between Tuesday 31 May and Friday 3 June 2016.
With support from BBC Music Day Ambassadors and organisations including the Arts Council, music education hubs, music organisations, charities and local councils, BBC Music Day is a landmark annual event in the UK and Channel Islands calendar, celebrating our diverse musical talent, forging new musical collaborations and inspiring new connections.
The first BBC Music Day last year saw a dawn-to-dusk day of celebration involving musical events in more than 10 UK towns and cities, including ‘Hadrian’s Wall of Sound’, a spectacular musical relay from Bowness on Solway to Wallsend; a concert at Glasgow’s City Halls where a number of different artists performed with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra; a certified Guinness World Record with a link-up facilitated by BBC Radio Cymru between singers in Cardiff and Patagonia, bridging 7,000 miles in distance between people singing a duet; and a special performance of Craig Charles’ BBC Radio 6 Music’s Funk And Soul show in Liverpool.
A number of big star names supported BBC Music Day last year acting as BBC Music Day Ambassadors, including Tom Jones, Lulu, Ricky Wilson, producer Mark Ronson, Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor and conductor Charles Hazlewood.
The full BBC Music Day activity across England, Channel Islands, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales will be announced from mid-April.
Notes to Editors
There will be five Unsung Hero winners from across the UK, including:
x1 from Northern Ireland
x1 from Scotland
x1 from Wales
x2 from England (Including the Channel Islands)
(For full T&Cs please visit bbc.co.uk/musicday)
The five Unsung Heroes from 2015 included:
Hannah Brine, London
When Hannah Brine set up Victoria Park Singers in London’s East End two years ago, her talent as a singer and a teacher, her fun-loving positivity, ambition and inspirational leadership turned a bunch of disparate strangers into a joyful and accomplished community choir. What started as a small select group is now 100 members strong and their performances have raised £8,000 for charity. The choir brings together members from different cultures, and Hannah’s infectious personality is vital for pulling together all the different nationalities, ages and backgrounds to form a happy, harmonious mass.
Paul Balmer, Corby, Northamptonshire
Every Saturday for the past seven years, Paul has run a free youth music group called ‘The Oakley Rangers’ in Corby. The Rangers receive ‘Rockschool’ style music lessons in exchange for helping the community, for example by picking up litter or planting trees. Paul has taught over 100 young people, some of whom have now gone on to study and work in music. He also works hard to obtain donations of musical instruments from local companies and political organisations. The Rangers have a diverse membership with musicians from Albania, Bangladesh and Russia, and the group is also open to young people with special needs. Alongside his work for the Rangers, Paul has written songs for the local community choir, and gives free local performances.
Meryl Gittins, Newport, South Wales
Meryl has been teaching music in the Newport area of South Wales since 1974. She developed a widely renowned school choir at Ty-Sign Primary School, Risca, giving young people from relatively under-privileged areas the opportunity to perform at local and national events. A number of her pupils have gone on to study music and perform in choirs, including Only Boys Aloud. Today, she is still an active volunteer serving the community with music from cradle to grave, teaching toddlers nursery rhymes, playing piano with the community choir, taking music to senior citizens' homes and performing at funerals.
Mary Bell, Greenock, Inverclyde
Mary Bell is a music teacher at Garvel School for the Deaf in Greenock, Inverclyde. As a wheelchair user and someone who is profoundly deaf, she is an ideal teacher and role model for her pupils. Mary taught herself to play by sensing sound through vibrations, and she helps her pupils develop their fine motor skills through learning to play rhythmically. She inspires her students with her tenacity and determination to learn, play and perform music.
Denise White, Derry Londonderry
Denise White started 'Something Special', a project which uses music as a way of consolidating learning, developing concentration, and enhancing creativity, social interaction and participation group work for young people and adults with learning disabilities in Derry Londonderry. Having been very close to her uncle who had Downs Syndrome, she was inspired to work with special needs students. Today ‘Something Special’ is an award-winning regional educational charity that provides accredited courses in music and performing arts to over 80 students, who have performed at events throughout Ireland.
Follow the action to the build up to BBC Music Day at @bbcmusic via #BBCMusicDay or on Facebook at BBC Music.
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