Naomi Pohl: Last News

The BBC has suspended its plan to shutter the BBC Singers choir after a public outcry over the decision.

A major musicians’ trade union has described proposed cuts to the BBC’s classical performing groups as “utterly devastating”.

Music charity Help Musicians and the Musicians’ Union have launched a Musicians’ Census to gain insight into the UK’s community of music-makers.“The world has changed significantly in recent years – and with that, the landscape for musicians”, says MU General Secretary Naomi Pohl. “But without quality data and representative insights, it’s difficult to understand what today’s musicians really need and how we can help”.“There are an estimated 37,000 musicians in the UK – over 32,000 of which being members of the Musicians’ Union”, she goes on.

Naomi Pohl, deputy general secretary of the Musicians’ Union.Responding to the second round of the SEISS funding earlier this month, Pohl said: “38% musician we surveyed do not qualify, many of our members’ workplaces will not reopen until next year, and live performances with significantly reduced audience capacity simply aren’t economically viable. ”She continued: “We are calling for both the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Self Employment Income Support Scheme to be extended into early 2021 for those workers who cannot make a living while social distancing guidelines remain in place.“We have been making these arguments to the Government since March and are increasingly concerned for the welfare of our members.