BBC suspends closure of world-renowned chamber choir

The BBC has backtracked on its decision to scrap the UK’s only full-time professional chamber choir after a global outcry.

The corporation said on Friday that it had suspended the closure of BBC Singers after it was approached by third-party organisations to offer funding for the world-renowned ensemble.

The public broadcaster had set out plans this month to axe the 99-year-old choir within weeks as part of wider cuts to classical music, its latest response to budgetary pressures.

But the decision led to uproar among classical music enthusiasts and a petition calling on the BBC to reverse it attracted tens of thousands of signatures.

The BBC said it was actively exploring options for alternative funding of the group, which, if viable, would “secure the future” of the ensemble.

While music groups welcomed the reprieve, which will allow the BBC Singers to perform at the BBC Proms this summer, the corporation would not say if it was prepared to provide any funding itself.

Options could include commercial sponsorship, a licensing partnership or an ownership transfer to an external body, with the BBC commissioning the choir as required. Whether or not “BBC” would remain in the ensemble’s name has yet to be determined.

Deborah Annetts, chief executive of the Independent Society of Musicians, said she was “delighted and relieved” that BBC Singers was not facing immediate closure, but remained concerned about its long-term future.

The BBC still plans to press ahead with its broader cuts to classical music funding — which include reducing the number of salaried orchestral posts across England by about one-fifth — although it is holding a consultation with the Musicians’ Union about the wider plans.

The suspension of the decision to close the choir followed talks between the BBC and the union in recent days.

Classical music maestros have rounded on the corporation over the cuts. Sakari Oramo, chief conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, described the closure of the choir as an “action of blatant vandalism”.

The BBC is looking for ways to save money after the then culture secretary Nadine Dorries in January 2022 froze the television licence fee that funds the corporation for two years, despite upward pressure on costs.

Managers had presented the cuts to classical music as part of a new strategy prioritising “quality, agility and impact” and said the broadcaster would “invest more widely in the future of choral singing across the UK”.

Critics argued the sums to be saved were minimal given the cultural significance of the output by groups such as the BBC Concert Orchestra, Philharmonic and Symphony Orchestra, as well as the BBC Singers.

The corporation spent £25mn on orchestras and performing groups in the 2021-22 financial year, according to its most recent annual report, out of a total £4.07bn on public service broadcasting.

Jo Laverty, organiser at the Musicians’ Union, said the BBC’s announcement earlier this month had “impacted all the individuals affected in the most brutal way. We are right behind every member affected.”

The corporation said in a statement: “The BBC Singers are much loved across the classical community and their professionalism, quality and standing has never been in question.

“We have said throughout these were difficult decisions. Therefore, we want to fully explore the options that have been brought to us to see if there is another way forward.”