ULSTER ORCHESTRA & BBC CHARTER RENEWAL – The Trust Consultation Background 1. The BBC has significantly promoted orchestral provision in the province since it was created in 1924. In that year it established the Belfast Wireless Orchestra (BWO), the first fully professional orchestra in Northern Ireland. With the outbreak of war in 1939, BBC regional broadcasting was reduced and the BWO was disbanded. BBCNI then formed David Curry’s BBC Irish Rhythms Orchestra, a smaller ensemble dedicated to performing light, particularly Irish, repertoire. In 1949 the BBC established its Northern Ireland Light Orchestra (NILO). It was wound up in 1980, and the following year its players were recruited into the Ulster Orchestra (UO), increasing its complement from 37 to 55 players. And since that time, the BBC has paid the UO a fee in return for it delivering a defined amount of musical output each year that BBCNI and Radio 3 can relay to their listeners. 2. The relationship between the UO and the BBC has been mutually beneficial: it has allowed the UO to achieve more than it otherwise would; it has offered the BBC the potential to access a large and varied range of musical programming for significantly less than it would cost to maintain its own orchestra in Northern Ireland. But useful as the relationship has been, it has not achieved its full potential, for example, in promoting touring outside Belfast and in education and community engagement. It is a transactional arrangement: a fee-based, service-level agreement. It has not evolved into an enduring partnership as was originally intended when the BBC began its association with the UO in 1980, and as it has when the BBC has developed relationships with orchestras in other regions of the UK. 3. Regional differences in the BBC’s orchestral relationships have resulted in regional differences in funding support. In Scotland the BBC has its own Scottish Symphony Orchestra (over 80 players), which is in addition to the following orchestras that are funded by the Scottish government: the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (about 89 players), the Orchestra of Scottish Opera (over 50 players), the Scottish Ballet Orchestra (50-70 players), and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (over 30 players). In Wales, where the BBC has a Public Value Partnership (PVP) with the Arts Council of Wales, in 2014/15 the BBC provided the BBC National Orchestra of Wales (over 80 players), with 80% (£4.7m) of the Orchestra’s total income and the ACW provided 14% (£844.5k). In contrast, although the artistic merit of the UO (63 players) compares favourably nationally and internationally, it is the only fully professional orchestra in Northern Ireland, and inadequate funding is threatening its survival, the BBC provided it with only 16% (£639k) of its total income while the ACNI provided 47% (£1.88m). 4. This funding disparity has recently prompted the Chairman of the Assembly’s Committee for Culture, Arts and Leisure, Nelson McCausland MLA, to write to Lord Hall, the Director-General of the BBC, as follows: Members [of the Committee] are aware that the BBC has provided much more significant financial support to the “BBC” orchestras located in other regions of the UK. The Committee particularly reflected on the financial support provided by the Corporation to the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. While the Committee appreciates the funding provided to the Ulster Orchestra by BBC Northern Ireland, Members believe that it is time for the BBC at the centre to support the Ulster Orchestra on a per capita basis that is commensurate with the funding provided to the Orchestra’s equivalents in Wales and Scotland.1 1 Letter, 25 November 2014 attached. Also attached is Lord Hall’s reply of 8 December 2014. The population of Scotland is 5.3m, Wales 3.1m, and Northern Ireland 1.8m. 5. A key principle of the BBC’s Charter renewal document, Building Public Value, published in 2004 in the run up to last Charter Review in 2007, is that “the BBC would deliver the greatest possible public value through working in partnership with others”, and good examples of this principle are “the public value partnerships formed by BBC Orchestras in Scotland, Wales, London and the North of England to support and help finance a range of activities including concerts, tours and education and audience development projects which stimulate interest in classical music in the community and are often featured in or used to support the creation of BBC output.”2 Northern Ireland is noticeable by its absence from this statement. Its omission should be remedied, as should the regional disparity in BBC orchestral funding noted above by the CAL Committee. The Ulster Orchestra is already de facto the “BBC’s Orchestra in Northern Ireland”. It should obtain this status de jure by forming a Public Value Partnership with the BBC. The BBC would then be fairly fulfilling one of the obligations in its present Charter: “representing the UK, its nations, regions and communities”. 6. The Charter Review is an opportune moment to raise with the BBC the desirability of a Public Value Partnership for the UO, and of BBC per capita orchestral funding for Northern Ireland being comparable to that for Scotland and Wales. Alan Davey (Controller, BBC Radio 3) is currently reviewing BBC orchestral provision. Lord Hall, in a speech given on 25 March 2014 shortly after becoming Director General, promised the strongest commitment to the arts that the BBC has made for a generation: “We want to build more creative links with you and your organisations – with you we want to put the arts at the very heart of the BBC”;3 and on 7 September 2015 he pledged the BBC to work more closely with the UK’s arts and science institutions to “make Britain the greatest cultural force in the world”.4 Moreover, as indicated above, the proposal has the support of the Assembly’s Culture, Arts & Leisure Committee. And discussions we have had over the past year with more than seventy politicians – local councillors, MLAs, Ministers, MPs, and MEPs in Northern Ireland – also indicate that there is widespread, cross-party support to advance this issue. 7. The closer the relationship between the UO and the BBC, the more it will work to the benefit of both organisations and of Northern Ireland. Hence we urge the BBC to transform this relationship into what it was originally intended to be: a Public Value Partnership. 8. Responses to the proposals outlined in each of the Chapters are attached. I do hope you find them useful. Professor Sir George Bain Chairman, Ulster Orchestra 21 September 2015 2 BBC Editorial Guidelines, Appendix 3: “Statement of Policy on Alternative Finance, Public Value Partnerships”, paras. 15 and 16. 3 http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/speeches/2014/dg-bbc-arts.html; accessed 24 March 2014. 4 See hhtp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-34168310; accessed 15 September 2015. Comment on British Bold Creative Chapter 1 – is the BBC successful today? Does it work in Practice? The BBC does work in practice, as much of the work of the Ulster Orchestra would not be known if concerts were not broadcast on the BBC; these average over 30 per year. In addition to recording our own Ulster Orchestra concerts for subsequent broadcast - up to 10 per year for Radio 3, and up to 10 per year for Radio Ulster - the BBC hold their own invitation concerts each year. They can hold up to 12 of these invitation concerts per year for Radio 3. They can hold up to 5 of these invitation concerts per year for Radio Ulster. The BBC also have up to 180 minutes of TV which they can take (Proms in the Park and other events such as this year’s Sports Personality of the Year). Chapter 1 describes how the BBC makes the UK a more creative Nation. The Ulster Orchestra would concur that the BBC has created a media system based on: An astonishing strength and depth of creative talents including composers and musicians A creative network with strong connections and talent that flows between all of the constituent parts including radio and music, broadcasting and the performing arts The best shop window to the world for British talent Chapter 2 – is the BBC distinctive and of high quality? In terms of the work of the Orchestra, Radio 3 is its main platform. Radio 3 is one of the world’s most important music and arts broadcasters. Radio 3 is the most significant commissioner of new music in the world with nearly 200 original commissions in the past five years. Its music offer is unique with 57% of music broadcast live or specifically recorded. Compared to Classic FM it repeats far less music in a week. The Ulster Orchestra would be supportive of this work continuing and the uniqueness of the music broadcast maintained. This gives new and aspiring composers and musicians a platform for their work and allows for investment in talent. In terms of Radio Ulster, the Orchestra would want to see the emphasis on local culture maintained with a showcase of the arts which is important to that local audience. The recognition in the document that innovation for the BBC has been delivered through the way it distributes content rather than the programme content itself is welcomed. The Orchestra for its own particular genre of music is aware that facilities such as online and “i player” would work particularly well for local audiences who can listen back to concerts held in Northern Ireland. Chapter 3 – What do audiences want from the BBC ? The BBC helps to connect the UK.