BBC Radio 3 is making a major commitment to Hull throughout 2017 for the city’s year as UK City of Culture.
A three day festival of folk and roots music featuring Hull’s most famous musicians, the Waterson family with folk singer, Eliza Carthy, and performances by musicians from Sierra Leone and Poland.
Sam Lee, Anna Meredith, Eliza Carthy, Mark Simpson, Errollyn Wallen, GoGo Penguin, Daniel Elms and Jocelyn Pook are among the 20 composers taking part in New Music Biennial
The station will also run a Big Chamber Weekend curated by pianist Anna Tilbrook and hold a major new spoken word festival, Contains Strong Language.
Alan Davey, Controller BBC Radio 3 says five distinctive broadcast moments will take place in 2017 that will shine a light on the city. This includes Mutations of Musical Modernism, a concert that responds to Basil Kirchin’s love of texture and sonic collage; Uproot, a season in April focusing on folk and world music reflecting Hull’s rich folk and roots heritage from Hull Truck Theatre; a focus on new music in partnership with the PRS for Music Foundation for New Music Biennial in July, a Big Chamber Weekend and Contains Strong Language a poetry season.
He said: “Director-General Tony Hall has vowed that the BBC will be ‘unashamedly Hull-centric in 2017’ and as part of that commitment and BBC Radio 3’s aim to connect audiences with remarkable music and culture, we will be proudly putting Hull centre stage. As a cultural patron, BBC Radio 3 is constantly innovating and commissioning new work. By working in partnership with Hull 2017 we hope to reflect that innovation on the ground, sharing with our millions of listeners a raft of distinctive live music performance, new talent showcases and poetry programming that reflect the wonderful things happening in the city.”
