More than 700 composers have written to Tim Davie, the BBC director general, to condemn the “devastating” closure of the 99-year-old BBC choir, the BBC Singers, which was announced last week.
“As composers, we recognise the BBC Singers as one of the world’s great advocates for new choral music throughout their 99-year history,” they write. “The loss of this extraordinary group would be devastating for the future of the art form, for the composers it champions and for the audiences it serves.”
Signatories include the most distinguished names in British classical composition, including George Benjamin, Thomas Adès, Errollyn Wallen and the master of the King’s music, Judith Weir. Michael Berkeley, who sits in the House of Lords as a crossbencher, has signed the letter, as have significant figures from overseas, including the US composer Nico Muhly and the Finnish composers Esa-Pekka Salonen and Kaija Saariaho.
The letter’s signatories argue that the choir’s “contribution to the last century of music has been incalculable”, owing to its history of commissioning and premiering music from the greatest composers, including Webern, Poulenc, Boulez and Birtwistle. “Throughout their existence they have been one of the only choral groups capable of tackling the most challenging and idealistic works … alongside the rest of their enormous repertoire,” write the composers.
They add: “You say you are looking for agility and flexibility in your future choral provision: you already have it. No other UK ensemble can match this amount or breadth of activity across the spectrum of choral styles and genres, nor achieve stunning results so quickly in any situation.”
The disbanding of the choir, which was formed in 1924, was announced last Tuesday.
Last week a group of conductors of the BBC orchestras wrote to Davie and other managers saying that “to consign [the BBC Singers] to the dustheap … displays a shocking disregard not only of how artistic excellence takes root but [of] how the BBC’s great legacy across the arts is viewed and envied around the world.”
The conductors, including Sakari Oramo, Dalia Stasevska, Semyon Bychkov, Alpesh Chauhan and Jules Buckley, also condemned a 20% reduction in salaried positions in the English BBC orchestras – the BBC Symphony, Philharmonic and Concert orchestras.
Announcing the plans on Tuesday, Charlotte Moore, the BBC’s chief content officer, said: “This new strategy is bold, ambitious and good for the sector and for audiences who love classical music. That doesn’t mean that we haven’t had to make some difficult decisions, but equally they are the right ones for the future.”
An online petition calling on the BBC to reconsider the plans had gathered more than 100,000 signatures by Monday morning.
