BBC Music has announced the full line up of events for BBC Music Day 2016 on Friday 3 June. BBC Music Day is a UK wide annual celebration of music that aims to unite communities across different generations.
BBC Newcastle and BBC Cumbria will join the other BBC local radio stations by marking BBC Music Day 2016 with ‘Take it to the Bridge’. The celebration will see musical collaborations on over 40 bridges around the UK including iconic bridges across the North East of England and Cumbria including the Millennium Bridge in Gateshead and Pooley Bridge at Ullswater. Both stations will be broadcasting live from the bridges in their region throughout the day.
Events being broadcast on BBC Newcastle include:
- Between 7-7.30am. A member of the Coldstream Pipeband and members of the Spittal Pipers will play on the Union Chain Bridge at Berwick-upon-Tweed to perform traditional songs including the well-known Jimmy Allen.
- Between 10.30-11.00am. The Millennium Bridge in Gateshead will see around 12 members of the North Tyneside Steel Band service performing their version of the David Guetta hit ‘Titanium’.
- Between 11.30am – 12pm. The folk band The Cornshed Sisters will perform the popular folk song ‘The Rigs of Sunderland Fair’ acapella at the site of the New Wear Crossing in Sunderland.
- Between 4.30pm – 5.30pm. Prebends Bridge in Durham becomes the location for two performances that give some well-known songs from recent years a twist. The first comes from the former The Voice contestant Chloe Castro who performs a mash-up of ‘I’m Going Down’ by Rose Royce and ‘Hometown Glory’ by Adele on acoustic guitar. This is followed by the choir Durham Voices of Recovery – a choir of approximately 20 people who are recovering from addiction problems and those with family members who’ve been affected by addiction – with their version of ‘How to save a life’ by the Fray.
Meanwhile listeners of BBC Cumbria can look forward to hearing performances from across the county including:
- 7.45am and 8.20am. Pooley Bridge at Ullswater takes centre stage for performances from the Kendal choir the Fellside Singers and the Keswick singer-songwriter Annemarie Quinn.
- 10.10am and 10.25am. The Cleator Moor Brass Band and the Whitehaven singer Zoe Warren will perform on the Phoenix Bridge near Whitehaven.
- 12.35pm and 12.50pm. Songs from the Brampton Community Choir and Emma Dockeray, a singer-songwriter from West Cumbria, at the Wetheral Railway Viaduct.
- 17.15pm. A local ukulele band will take to the Devil’s Bridge in Kirkby Lonsdale for an atmospheric performance with this much loved instrument.
Phil Roberts, BBC Head of Regional Programming in the North East and Cumbria, said:
“Our part of the world has a fine musical heritage. With the likes of Maximo Park, the Futureheads and the runner up in this year’s series of The Voice Cumbria’s own Jolan Gidney-Craigen continuing this trend it is only right that BBC Newcastle and BBC Cumbria join in the BBC Music Day celebrations in recognition of our contribution to the world of music. We hope our listeners get a real sense of what the day is all about celebrating musical achievement across the UK. There really is something for everyone.”
Bells from over 80 church towers will also ring out simultaneously at 7pm on BBC Music Day throughout towns, cities and villages across the UK. Cathedrals and smaller parish churches are all involved, with over 650 bell ringers taking part, aged from 11 to 90 years old. St John’s Church in Cleator Moor will be joining in the bell ringing for BBC Music Day in Cumbria.
BBC Music Day is returning for its second year, celebrating all types of music from around the UK and the Channel Islands. Bringing live music to people through an exciting range of events around the theme of collaboration, it aims to unite communities across different generations. BBC Music Day will feature broadcasts across BBC TV, Radio and digital services from 6am to midnight.
For more information about BBC Music Day, a wider regional events list and details of how to get involved, please visit www.bbc.co.uk/musicday.
