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BBC Radio 3 to air concert celebrating diversity in classical music

By | Published on Monday 31 January 2022

BBC Radio 3

BBC Radio 3 will this week air a concert aiming to celebrate diversity in classical music while ensuring that “unfairly forgotten figures are welcomed again into the Western classical canon for future generations”.

The result of a collaboration with the Arts And Humanities Research Council, which is funding academic research into historical classical composers from diverse ethnic backgrounds, the concert will feature performances of orchestral works by Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Margaret Bonds and Ali Osman. It will also include solo piano works composed by Nathaniel Dett, Kikuko Kanai and Julia Perry.

Radio 3 Controller Alan Davey says that – not only does his radio station have a role in expanding the classical canon by commissioning new works – it can also contribute to that canon by “unearthing those from the past that might forever be lost without a platform for audiences to discover them. We’re grateful to the Arts And Humanities Research Council for supporting us and enabling us to take steps to ensure that unfairly forgotten figures are welcomed again into the Western classical canon for future generations”.

AHRC Executive Chair Christopher Smith adds: “These performances, made possible by the work of leading arts and humanities researchers in tandem with Radio 3’s reach and platform, make an important contribution to expanding the breadth and diversity of the classical music canon. AHRC is proud to help ensure that these sublime compositions will be heard for generations to come”.

The concert will air at 2pm on 2 Feb on BBC Radio 3 and the BBC Sounds app.



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