BBC Philharmonic News - South Bank Award Nomination

Recognising a ground breaking venture for the music industry.

The series of four concerts at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, which took place in May and June 2005, featured performances of all the nine symphonies written by Beethoven and was complemented by a free download offer of the performances on the BBC Radio 3 website.

The Orchestra, under Principal Conductor Gianandrea Noseda, thrilled audiences and critics with their performances and the website offer attracted a phenomenal 1.4 million download requests from all over the world.

Cellist Chris Hoyle accepted the award on behalf of Gianandrea Noseda and the players at a ceremony in London on 27 January. He said: 'Gianandrea Noseda is a maestro in the true sense of the word. He's a conductor with real imagination, flair and with a genuine depth of musicianship. ...Whether you're a member of the audience or a member of the orchestra you can't help [but] be swept along by his sheer enthusiasm and his energy.'

Richard Wigley, the Orchestra's General Manager, commented: "The South Bank Show Award is a wonderful recognition for a very special musical partnership between Gianandrea Noseda and the BBC Philharmonic. It puts us quite rightly on an international stage and we are thrilled."

Also nominated alongside the Orchestra were composer Thomas Ades for his Violin Concerto, and Sir Colin Davis and the LSO for the Beethoven and Tippett series.