Nottingham students team up with BBC Concert Orchestra to showcase regional talent
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.
By Sarah McLeod | Published on 20 March 2025
Categories: Press office; NTU Arts;
Working collaboratively on a project inspired by journeys, students from Nottingham Trent University (NTU) and the University of Nottingham (UoN) 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.
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.
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 performance at the Royal Concert Hall takes place on 25th March at 8.30pm, following a BBC Concert Orchestra performance of 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.
Professor Jeremy Gregory, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Faculty of Arts at the University of Nottingham, said: “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 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 26th 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 at the Royal Concert Hall on Friday 28th March at 7pm.
Notes for Editors
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About Universities for Nottingham
The Universities for Nottingham initiative is a pioneering collaboration which brings together the combined strength and civic missions of 11 anchor institutions from across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire. Working with local communities and partners we aim to improve levels of economic prosperity, educational opportunity, environmental sustainability and health and wellbeing for the benefit of our people and place.
As part of the response to the challenges we collectively face, the Universities for Nottingham Civic Agreement sets out our joint plans for the future working as a partnership.
Find out more at  #UnisForNottingham
About the BBC Concert Orchestra
The mission of the BBC Concert Orchestra is to bring inspiring musical experiences to everyone, everywhere, with the ensemble’s versatility as the key. The orchestra performs at the BBC Proms, regularly at London’s Southbank Centre, Nottingham Royal Concert Hall, and at other venues across the UK and beyond. For BBC Radio 3, the BBC CO explores a wide selection of music ranging from classical to contemporary and can be heard weekly on BBC Radio 3’s Friday Night Is Music Night. Additionally, the orchestra has performed on countless BBC soundtracks, including Blue Planet and Call the Midwife, and each February the orchestra collaborates with world-leading artists for BBC Radio 2’s Piano Room Month for BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds. They are also involved in BBC Ten Pieces, the BBC Young Composer competition and the BBC Open Music programme. The orchestra is in two partnerships, one with Orchestras Live for Create Yarmouth and another with Nottingham University and Nottingham Trent University, providing workshops and concerts that reach schools, universities and local communities and are designed to improve quality of life and wellbeing in the areas and provide support to the regional music sector.
About the BBC Concert Orchestra Nottingham Universities partnership
Universities for Nottingham has partnered with the BBC Concert Orchestra for a three-year programme. The mission of the is to ‘bring inspiring musical experiences to everyone, everywhere, with the ensemble’s versatility as the key’.
The partnership aims to develop and enhance the cultural life of Nottingham with University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University students having everyday access to a world class performing and recording orchestra. This partnership also aligns with the BBC’s strategy to reach new audiences across the UK and support music education.
The Concert Orchestra’s presence in the East Midlands in both performance and education spaces can inspire the next generation with invaluable musical experiences, reach deeply into underserved communities and improve quality of life, health, and wellbeing.
Nottingham will host the BBC Concert Orchestra for two week-long residencies each year from 2023 to 2026. This partnership and these residencies will result in concerts, collaborative projects, educational experiences, talent and skills development opportunities, and other opportunities to Nottingham.