About the Orchestra

Hear and there...

Question: Where can you hear the BBC Concert Orchestra?
Answer: Er...in a concert hall?

Well, yes, that's true...but then, as Oscar Wilde observed in The Importance of Being Earnest, 'the truth is rarely pure and never simple'. And the truth about this unique orchestra is that, although in just over a year it has played an impressive 111 performances in halls across 14 UK towns and another 13 cities abroad - add travel time and rehearsals and the figures look even more impressive - the concerts don't tell the full story.

Full biography of the BBC Concert Orchestra

• Composers
• Conductors
• Players
• History
• How to apply

Composer in Association: Jonny Greenwood

Born 5 November 1971, Jonny joined Radiohead while still at school. Radiohead have realised phenomenal success over the past decade with multi platinum album sales and an ever-growing worldwide following.

Jonny Greenwood's commission for the BBC CO, Popcorn Superhet Receiver received its premiere on 23rd April 2005. Jonny won the Radio 3 Listeners' Award at the 2006 BBC British Composer Awards for this piece.

The piece was inspired by radio static and the extended, dissonant chords of Polish composer Penderecki's "Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima".