Thursday, 20 March 2025
The world-famous BBC Concert Orchestra will be returning to Nottingham as part of its collaboration with the Universities for Nottingham initiative – taking part in a week-long series of events coinciding with Nottingham Royal Concert Hall’s Soundstage Festival.
Working collaboratively on a project inspired by journeys, students from the University of Nottingham (UoN) and Nottingham Trent University (NTU) will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see their creations brought to life by the BBC Concert Orchestra in a performance at the Royal Concert Hall, on Tuesday 25 March.
Journeys will see a series of short silent films from Filmmaking, Animation, Graphic Design, and Illustration students from NTU, with accompanying bespoke scores from Music undergraduate and postgraduate students and alumni from UoN performed by the Concert Orchestra and conducted by Hugh Brunt.
Our partnership with the BBC Concert Orchestra offers our students the unprecedented opportunity to gain access to world-class music and experiences, and I am delighted to welcome the orchestra back to Nottingham this spring for more remarkable performances. We are thrilled that the collaboration continues to thrive and showcases the rich musical talent we have in Nottingham, and I am very much looking forward to the Journeys concert!”
The performance at the Royal Concert Hall takes place on 25 March at 8.30pm, following a BBC Concert Orchestra performance of South at 7pm, a newly commissioned score by Neil Brand, played to the digitally remastered documentary feature, South – the cinematic record of Shackleton’s 1914-16 Endurance expedition to Antarctica.
Amy Bere, Director of Culture at Nottingham Trent University, said: “This is the fourth residency week with the Concert Orchestra, and we know from the last year just what an incredible experience this is for the students. It is their chance to not only experience how a professional orchestra rehearses and performs, but to see their own compositions and creations come to life. For some, this will lead to the development of new skills and potentially to employment opportunities which would have otherwise not been open to them.
“It is a wonderful result of collaboration between our universities and the BBC, and we are lucky to be able to share this passion and energy with the wider community of Nottingham in the form of awe-inspiring performances from world-renowned musicians.”
The BBC Concert Orchestra also joins forces with NTU and UoN students and alumni for a performance at NTU’s City Campus of Screen Sounds at 7.30pm. The hour-long concert on 26 March will be a trip through some of TV’s best-loved theme tunes, from Bridgerton, 2001: A Space Odyssey, to Mission Impossible. The orchestra will consist of musicians from the Concert Orchestra and students from NTU and UoN. It will be conducted by Michael Coleby.
Matthew Swann, Director of the BBC Concert Orchestra, said: “The partnership between the BBC Concert Orchestra and the universities of Nottingham continues to go from strength to strength, showcasing the talent and creativity of the students and the passion for live performance within the local area. Our fourth residency week explores the relationship between music, TV and film, culminating in a very special Friday Night is Music Night, jam-packed with beloved TV music led by our Chief Conductor, Anna Maria Helsing.”
Over 150 students from NTU and UoN are involved in BBC Concert Orchestra events during this residency week. This partnership provides Nottingham students with exceptional professional and performance experiences and opportunities, bringing them into direct contact with a world-class and world-renowned orchestra in meaningful ways which contribute to their studies and to their professional skills.
The week of events will culminate in Friday Night is Music Night at the Royal Concert Hall on Friday 28 March at 7pm.
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 24 in Europe and 15th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the third most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2024 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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