A radio orchestra (or broadcast orchestra ) is an orchestra employed by a radio network (and sometimes television networks ) in order to provide programming as well as sometimes perform incidental or theme music for various shows on the network. In the heyday of radio such orchestras were numerous, performing classical, popular, light music and jazz. However, in recent decades, broadcast orchestras have become increasingly rare. Those that still exist perform mainly classical and contemporary orchestral music, though broadcast light music orchestras, jazz orchestras and big bands are still employed by some radio stations in Europe.
29-585: The RTÉ Concert Orchestra is a professional radio orchestra in Ireland and is part of RTÉ , the national broadcaster. Since its formation as the Radio Éireann Light Orchestra in 1948, the RTÉ Concert Orchestra, has grown from a small studio-based recording group to become an active 45-strong orchestra performing over eighty concerts annually. It was part of RTÉ Performing Groups until 2022 when
58-845: A Big Band in Frankfurt and the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, Berlin. The British Broadcasting Corporation operates five full-time permanent orchestras, as well as a full-time chamber choir, the BBC Singers and the BBC Big Band . Denmark also maintains orchestra in the form of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra , the Danish Radio Big Band , Chamber Orchestra and Radio Choir. In Norway NRK runs
87-653: A broad range of styles including elements of pop, new age, contemporary songwriters etc. The RTÉ Concert Orchestra combined with the Mooney radio programme and the RTÉ radio audience to create a concert series running to 11 concerts finishing in 2014, Mooney Tunes from the Grand Canal Theatre and the National Concert Hall. 2016 saw the first of a series of 'dance music' performances at venues like
116-457: A competition. Dermot O'Neill was a frequent guest on the programme. As well as talking about gardening he was once offered to learn opera. He took up the challenge and performed at a New Year's Day concert on Mooney . Authors, such as Joan Geraghty , spoke about their books on the show. Mooney also searched for a Little Orphan Annie to star in an Irish tour of the musical Annie . The finalists were reduced to three. The competition
145-443: A weekday slot. In early 2009, RTÉ weather presenter Nuala Carey launched a nationwide search to find herself a man on Mooney . Reports of her escapades at several dating events accompanied by her friend Ciara were broadcast on the radio programme. In 2011, it featured a world record attempt at having the most people dressed up as a leprechaun in the one place. People came from Italy , Poland and Romania to participate in
174-1000: A year. In the Netherlands, the Muziekcentrum van de Omroep ( Broadcasting Music Centre ), an umbrella organization of the Netherlands Public Broadcasting associations, supports the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest , the Radio Kamer Filharmonie , the Groot Omroepkoor ( Netherlands Radio Choir ), and the Metropole Orkest , the world's largest professional pop and jazz orchestra. The last surviving broadcast orchestra in North America
203-585: Is an Irish radio programme broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1 . Presented by Derek Mooney , the programme airs Monday to Friday from 15:00 to 16:30. Mooney was the 18th most listened-to radio programme in Ireland. It was presented by Brenda Donohue or Aonghus McAnally when Derek Mooney was absent. Its predecessor programme, Mooney Goes Wild , was known for its coverage of nature and the later programme featured web broadcasts of blue tits nesting and hatching. In 2009, Mooney 's blue tits nested live online in
232-719: The Late Show with David Letterman whimsically called itself the CBS Orchestra though it was not a classical musical orchestra and did not perform on CBS outside of the Late Show . The last permanent studio orchestra in America was The Tonight Show Band , also known as the NBC Orchestra, a big band led by trumpeter Doc Severinsen . Mooney (radio programme) Mooney (successor to Mooney Goes Wild )
261-557: The National Symphony Orchestra was moved to the National Concert Hall along with Cór na nÓg . The orchestra performs classical, popular and big band evening and lunchtime concerts, covering a range of music from baroque to contemporary. The period from 2003 to 2006 saw a particular emphasis on the classical repertoire under the orchestra's then principal conductor Laurent Wagner. In this period
290-498: The Norwegian Radio Orchestra (Norwegian, Kringkastingsorkestret, abbreviated as KORK). The orchestra specializes in classical music as well as popular music. This makes it quite unique in that the musicians are trained both classically and rhythmically to a high degree. The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and Stavanger Symphony Orchestra also have agreements with NRK too make a number of broadcast recordings
319-607: The "Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Leprechauns". Mooney combined with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and the RTÉ radio audience to create Mooney Tunes from the Grand Canal Theatre for RTÉ over Christmas 2011, an obvious pun on the similarity between the presenter's name and the word "Looney" as used in Looney Tunes , the Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. Jedward put in an appearance at
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#1732765539457348-930: The Electric Picnic, the Three Arena Dublin with 2fm DJ Jenny Greene and Gemma Sugrue vocals. Radio orchestra Famous broadcast orchestras include the NBC Symphony Orchestra (1937–1954) conducted by Arturo Toscanini , the five orchestras maintained by the BBC , particularly the BBC Symphony Orchestra founded in 1930, the MDR Symphony Orchestra founded in 1923, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra founded in 1949,
377-1146: The North German Broadcasting ( NDR ) with two orchestras in Hamburg and Hanover as well as the NDR Big Band. West German Broadcasting ( WDR ) has two orchestras in Cologne and a Big Band, Southwest German Broadcasting ( SWR ) with one orchestra (2016 merged) and the SWR Big Band in Stuttgart and Baden-Baden/Freiburg, Bavarian Broadcasting ( BR ) with two orchestras in Munich, Central German Broadcasting ( MDR ) with one orchestra in Leipzig, Saarland Broadcasting ( SR ) with one orchestra (2006 merged) in Saarbrücken/Kaiserslautern, Hessian Broadcasting ( HR ) with one orchestra and
406-873: The RTÉ Philharmonic Choir, The National Chamber Choir, the Galway Baroque Choir, the Tallaght Choral Society, the Culwick Choral Society , Dun Laoighaire Choral Society and has had a tradition of performing Handel's 'Messiah' with Our Lady's Choral Society , including in its first ever performance in the Vatican in 2009. In July 2017 at the Galway International Arts Festival, the orchestra with soloist Clare Hammond, gave
435-799: The Tokyo-based NHK Symphony Orchestra , the Danish National Symphony Orchestra founded in 1925, the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra founded in 1969 and the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio (formerly the USSR State Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra among other names) founded in 1930. Germany has an especially large number of radio orchestras. Eleven radio orchestras perform and produce classical as well as contemporary music and jazz for
464-551: The World Premiere of Argentinian double Grammy winning composer Claudia Montero ´s Piano Concerto “Blanco y Negro” conducted by David Brophy, followed by a second performance at the National Concert Hall in Dublin. In addition to regular operatic gala concert performances with noted Irish international artists like Ailish Tynan, Cara O'Sullivan , Orla Boylan, Mary Hegarty, Regina Nathan , Majella Cullagh and Virginia Kerr ,
493-593: The best of Irish soloists at the Royal Dublin Society Concert Hall. 2014-2015 saw a return to classical repertoire with a particular emphasis on English composers such as Elgar, Coates and Vaughan Williams, and UK and international soloists under principal conductor John Wilson. The orchestra has recorded for the Naxos and Marco Polo labels, and more recently with Universal and Decca. It has performed many concerts with Irish choirs including
522-470: The gardens of President Mary McAleese . Mooney Goes Wild started in 1995 on Saturdays on RTÉ Radio 1. It mainly focused on wildlife and nature. Jackie and Daw was broadcast on Mooney Goes Wild . Mooney Goes Wild on One won the prestigious Prix d'Europe in Berlin in 2000, with the award given for a programme that observed the lives of two nesting jackdaws. On 2 October 2006, the programme moved to
551-506: The interval act, premiering a work that was to go on to make enormous worldwide impact. Conductor Gareth Hudson worked extensively with the orchestra on TV shows, and musical theatre productions and continues to make his mark in this area. The orchestra has brought many international and Irish artists to the Irish public through its "Signature Series". Principal conductor David Brophy has worked on many of these concerts showing his ability to cover
580-792: The orchestra has also worked with visiting artists including Denis O'Neill, Plácido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, José Carreras and Dame Kiri te Kanawa. From 1993 to 2008 it played for all Opera Ireland productions where it performed typically four full productions per year over the spring and winter opera seasons. Well known operas by the Italian masters and others were performed along with more modern works such as Dead Man Walking by Jake Heggie (performed 2007), and Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire (performed 2006). It has recorded Irish composer's William Vincent Wallace ’s ‘Maritana’ for Marco Polo label, and in 2008 performed Balfe's Falstaff , another Irish opera not performed since 1838. This historic performance
609-574: The orchestra in 2014, holding this position until 2016. The RTÉ Concert Orchestra has always played an active role in bringing popular music into an orchestral setting. Through the 1970s, 80s and 1990s it performed for the Irish National Song Contest, and played for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1971, 1981, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1997. As part of the 1994 Eurovision the orchestra performed Riverdance as
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#1732765539457638-462: The orchestra in the 1960s and players like Benny McNeill, Davy Martin, trumpets, John Tate and Harry Knowles, trombones, the orchestra has been a leading performer of jazz and big band repertoire. Arrangements by John Tate and Noel Kelehan defined the style of the orchestra and this tradition has continued with its current membership and arranging team as well as conductors. Visiting conductors like Bobby Lamb , Brian Byrne and John Wilson helped develop
667-427: The orchestra programmed classical-themed concerts compared to the "lighter" side that dominated under its previous principal conductor Proinnsias O'Duinn from 1978 to 2003, leading to collaboration with comperes such as Des Keogh , presenter of the popular radio programme Music for Middlebrows . 2007 saw the beginning of a classical series featuring incumbent principal conductor David Brophy, and Robert Houlihan with
696-435: The orchestra's repertoire and style. Lamb worked with the orchestra from the 1980s, bringing with him well known soloists, and playing many of his own arrangements and compositions. Wilson works regularly to recreate the arrangements and playing style of the golden Hollywood era of the 1940s to 1960s. In 2009 John Wilson was appointed principal guest conductor of the orchestra, and succeeded David Brophy as Principal Conductor of
725-487: The show discussing issues to do with the LGBT community. With the change to Mooney the programme's focus changed more to general chat and interviews. It also had live music and music discussion. In 2009, Mooney was the first place to preview six contestants going up to represent Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest . A memorable feature of the show was "Mooney's Money", whereby Mooney would dispense cash to listeners via
754-417: The show. Listeners were left stunned on Friday 13 April 2012 when a caller to Mooney was attacked by a swarm of bees live on the national airwaves. The caller screamed down the telephone before going silent amid the sound of the buzzing swarm. Mooney bee expert Philip McCabe had been giving advice to the listener at the time of the incident. In July 2012, Mooney criticised listeners who complained about
783-470: Was released later in 2008 on CD as a live recording. The orchestra's primary educational initiative is the 'Music in the Classroom' series, conducted and devised by Gearóid Grant. The orchestra performs about 24 of these concerts per year, with audience numbers at about one thousand primary school children per concert. While a regular feature since the earlier days of the orchestra, with the expansion of
812-828: Was the CBC Radio Orchestra founded in 1938. On March 28, 2008 the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation announced that the orchestra would be dissolved at the end of November. The ensemble has continued independent of network affiliation as the National Broadcast Orchestra based in Vancouver. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in Australia operates six state radio symphony orchestras through its subdivision Symphony Australia . The house band for
841-612: Was won by Nastasia Vashko from Limerick . Fridays were dedicated to the original format of the Mooney Goes Wild show, with guests, and panelists such as Éanna ni Lamhna , talking about nature and wildlife in Ireland. Annually Nestwatch had cameras in birds' nests. It was similar to the setup of the BBC's Springwatch . One nest box was installed in the gardens of President Mary McAleese at Áras an Uachtaráin in 2009 at her own invitation. The male blue tit once went missing and
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