The BBC Philharmonic orchestra has led celebrations as BBC North marks 5 years since it came to MediaCityUK.
The BBC Phil was one of the first arrivals in the summer of 2011, with its purpose built studio at Dock 10.
Since then 3000 BBC staff have made the move to Salford, with 6 departments based in the city, as well as 650 BBC digital employees.
“The BBC Philharmonic is rooted in the north and was the first BBC department to move to MediaCityUK five years ago. During the last five years they have worked with everyone from the dubstep artist Nero on BBC Radio 1, to bringing film scores to life on Kermode and Mayo’s Film Review Show on Radio 5 live and performing with artists like Richard Hawley for BBC Radio 6 Music whilst of course providing many hours of wonderful music for Radio 3,” said BBC Director of BBC North and BBC Children’s Alice Webb.
“Creating distinctive world class musical experiences is what the BBC Philharmonic is all about and we were delighted when they offered to join in with our fifth birthday celebrations.”
BBC Philharmonic general manager, Simon Webb, added:
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“We are proud to be based in Salford at the heart of the BBC’s northern story delivering fantastic broadcast performances with some of the best musicians in the world across the region from our base in Media City. We look forward to building on the local partnerships we have developed during the last five years with the likes of Salford University and Salford Community Leisure to continue to enrich the vibrant cultural landscape of the region. We simply couldn’t let this day pass without a special performance of our own and we hope you enjoy it.”
Due to a restructure of the BBC earlier this month, BBC North is no longer recognised as a division in its own right and its director no longer sits on the Corporation’s executive board. Instead, it is now a sub-division of BBC Nations and Regions.
