Music, Heritage, Place

The show, inspired by Newcastle University and Royal Holloway, University of London’s  Music, Heritage, Place project, was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and is in the running for best music documentary in the awards which celebrate the world’s best radio programmes.

The Song Detectorists sees experts from Newcastle and Royal Holloway visiting county archives with presenter Matthew Bannister to discover musical treasures. The Newcastle team included Professor Kirsten Gibson, Nancy Kerr and Dr Steph Carter.

Kirsten Gibson, Professor of Early Modern Music and Culture at Newcastle University, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to see The Song Detectorists has been shortlisted for this international award. It speaks to the power of music to connect listeners to the past, to place, and to our shared local, national and global histories. It’s a testament to the brilliance and insight of producer, Natalie Steed, who has so beautifully woven together the stories and the musical threads in each episode.”

Musical materials

The Music, Heritage, Place project has uncovered more than 600 musical materials in local archives across England, including two major new Purcell discoveries. Much of this musical heritage was previously unknown and has changed our understanding of music-making from the 16th to the mid-19th centuries.

Funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council, the project investigates the music made and used in England’s regions to create a new, decentralised understanding of English music and reveals previously untold stories about local identities, meanings of place, and the men and women active in musical life during past centuries.

The research teams have also worked to connect the musical heritage their project has uncovered with the communities where the music originated. They co-created a wide range of public engagement events including workshops, educational resources, concerts and festival appearances by the Melrose Quartet, to rework these musical discoveries for present-day audiences and to inspire a new generation of musicians.

There are 10 episodes of the Song Detectorist available to listen to on BBC iPlayer. The results of the New York Festivals Radio Awards will be announced in May.