BBC Music has announced details of events and activity for this year’s BBC Music Day on Thursday, June 15.
The UK-wide annual celebration of music will this year be based around the theme of the power of music - to bring people together, to enhance feelings of well-being and to create unforgettable memories.
It will be broadcast across BBC Radio, BBC Local Radio and BBC Television in the week leading up to BBC Music Day, as well as on the day itself.
“BBC Music Day is a chance for people across the country to celebrate the power of music in all its glorious forms, from participating in one of their local events to tuning in at home for some fantastic performances," said Bob Shennan (pictured), director of BBC Radio. "There is a diverse array of activities on offer with something for everyone to help mark the contribution that music makes to our lives.”
On Friday, June 9, Texas play with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra in a free concert from Glasgow’s Barrowlands, which will be broadcast live on Radio 2 and BBC Radio Scotland.
Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie will be broadcasting their BBC Radio 6 Music show live from Liverpool on BBC Music Day, celebrating the city’s musical legacy from the Beatles’ era to the present day. The show will include performances from local heroes Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark and indie psych-pop four-piece She Drew The Gun.
Will Young and the Courteeners also provide unique collaborations in Salford, performing with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra for BBC Radio 5 live’s Sports Panel, broadcast on Thursday 8 June 12.30 to 2pm.Exploring the common ground between music and sport, the programme will also feature Olympic gold medal-winning diver Chris Mears and Team GB long-jumper and The Voice contestant Jazmin Sawyers who have started musical careers alongside their sporting triumphs.
Saxophonist YolanDa Brown and Singer/Producer Zack Knight will also lend their talent with special performances for BBC Music Day.
Rebecca Sandiford, producer of BBC Music Day, said: “This year BBC Music Day is an inspiring celebration of musical creativity, whether it’s an international music icon performing live on Radio 2, a brass band performing on a village green or children taking part in a classical music school assembly. We’re delighted to be collaborating with so many external partners this year. BBC Music Day is a powerful way to bring people together through the universal language of music.”
Ambassadors for BBC Music Day 2017 include Ozzy Osbourne, Shaun Ryder, Alfie Boe and Miles Kane, all of whom will be taking part in some surprise BBC Music Day activity. More details of which will be revealed nearer the time.
BBC Local Radio and The British Plaque Trust will unveil 45 new plaques to commemorate people or places that have influenced the musical landscape in each BBC Local Radio Area. Singers, musicians, song-writers or producers, as well as significant locations which play a major role in our musical heritage will be revealed on BBC Local Radio on June 14.
