Music Nation events in countdown to London 2012 Festival Music Nation is part of the BBC's contribution to the London 2012 Festival and the Cultural Olympiad. For all BBC Olympic related programming, news, general information visit www.bbc.co.uk/2012. Music Nation events For further information, include tickets please visit: bbc.co.uk/musicnation South Basingstoke Fri 2 March 7.45pm - The Anvil London Mozart Players: Four World Seasons LMP present world premiere at The Anvil Southampton Across the weekend: Turner Sims and other Southampton venues Southampton's Musical Alphabet An A to Z of music, from a cappella to zumba, delivered in 26 hours around Southampton. Sat 3 March 1pm: Turner Sims Southampton Youth Orchestra with Chloe Hanslip Part of Southampton's Musical Alphabet: an A-Z of music in 26 hours. Sat 3 March 8pm: Turner Sims Julian Joseph Trio Sun 4 March 1pm: Turner Sims Brodsky Quartet Wheel of 4 Tunes: part of Southampton's Musical Alphabet: an A-Z of music in 26 hours. Sun 4 March 7pm: Turner Sims Equivox South East Croydon Sat 3 March 7.30pm: Fairfield Halls London Mozart Players Works by Mozart, Richard Strauss and a new work by Roxanna Panufnik. South West Devon & Cornwall Sun 4 March All Day: Multiple venues from Land's End to Exmoor BBC Concert Orchestra Sound of the South West: from sunrise to sunset on Sunday 4 March 2012, the BBC Concert Orchestra invites everyone in Devon and Cornwall to celebrate the Olympic and Paralympic Games and take part in one extraordinary day of music-making. Dorset Sat 3 March 7.30pm: The Exchange, Sturminster Newton The Chalk Legends Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra's new music ensemble Kokoro presents The Chalk Legends. Led by Kokoro, BSO present two concerts as part of a large-scale music, dance and multi-media project. Orchestras, choirs, big bands, and ukulele groups join together in an evening of community music making. Kokoro premiere Stephen McNeff's Gessopia and Hywel Davies" Quickstep. Sun 4 March 7.30pm: Portesham Village Hall Led by the BSO new music ensemble, Kokoro, BSO present two concerts as part of a large-scale music, dance and multi-media project. Plymouth Sat 3 March 7pm: Plymouth Pavilions Party at the Pavilions: BBC Concert Orchestra present a one-off performance with special guest Seth Lakeman. Bristol Sun 4 March 3.30pm: St George's, Bristol Orchestras Live: Aurora Orchestra Aurora presents a programme inspired by the vibrant lives of cities around the world. Music Nation: Orchestras Live is a celebration of the best of British chamber orchestras performing innovative programmes across England. London Sun 4 March all day: Camden Roundhouse Voices Now & the BBC Singers A day of some of the UK's best choirs at the Roundhouse presented by Voices Now, Making Music and the BBC Singers. Across the weekend: Barbican Barbican Weekender Head to the Barbican for a packed weekend of concerts and free events for all ages with an urban twist. Fri 2 March 12pm: Kings Place (Hall 2) Academy of St Martin in the Fields: Musical Torch Academy players and Islington schoolchildren will create a new composition inspired by a phrase from Brahms" music; a phrase of this composition will inspire the work of the next school, and so on as the piece travels through participating schools. Fri 2 March 7.30pm: Kings Place Brahms Unwrapped at Kings Place This programme offers a wonderful opportunity to hear some of Brahms' greatest chamber music in London's newest creative hub. Sat 3 March 7.30pm: Kings Place This programme offers a wonderful opportunity to hear Brahms' powerful Serenade No. 2 in London's newest creative hub. . Across the weekend, all day: Kings Place Central St. Martin's College and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields Musical Torch installation Students from Central St. Martin's College with the schoolchildren from Islington create an interactive installation which explores the Academy's Musical Torch project. Sat 3 March 7.30pm: Barbican BBC Symphony Orchestra: Urban Classic A meeting of musical cultures featuring some of the biggest names in UK urban music. Sat 3 March 7.30pm: St Barnabas, gorringe park avenue, mitcham Carmina Burana presented by Colliers Wood Chorus & Merton Music Foundation Encapsulating all the theatre and dram of Carmina Burana by Carl Orff Sat 3 March 7.30pm: Cadogan Hall City of London Sinfonia: Conquering the Antartic: a landmark concert retracing the steps of Captain Scott's expedition to the South Pole. Sat 3 March 6pm & 7.45pm: LSO St Luke's LSO On Track Creative Day A creative day culminating with 2 repeat public concerts showcasing new work devised by exceptional young musicians from East London with the London Symphony Orchestra. Sat 3 March 7.45pm: Purcell Room at Queen Elizabeth Hall Nu Civilisation Jazz Orchestra: Firebird - A Stravinsky/Parker Sound Clash Discover an exciting, experimental place where jazz and classical music meet, including a remodelled version of Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto. The orchestra's composers and arrangers explore this musical mash-up and others in a collection of new works. Sat 3 March 3pm: Royal Festival Hall Foyers Surrogate Cities Exploded! You are invited to explore the public spaces of the Royal Festival Hall where you will discover inspiring performances of music, dance and film created by young people from across London, developed in response to Heiner Goebbels' Surrogate Cities, an extraordinary work which translates the mechanics and architecture of the city into music. Sat 3 March 6pm: Royal Festival Hall Surrogate Cities by Heiner Goebbels Hear Goebbels" landmark work performed by Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Sun 4 March 4pm: Trinity Buoy Wharf - Chain Store Grand Union Orchestra and Water City Festival Orchestra What the River Sings: a diverse collection of performers reflects on the cultures and musical character of east London. Sun 4 March 5.30pm: Kings Place (Hall 2) Academy of St Martin in the Fields: Version 2.0 Ensemble Academy players will re-imagine classical music with young musicians from Islington. Creating a new ensemble, Academy musicians and participants will perform compositions, improvisations and interpretations of Brahms. Sun 4 March 7.30pm: Barbican BBC Symphony Orchestra with Rufus Wainwright Rufus Wainwright performs his Five Shakespeare Sonnets in a Shakespeare-inspired programme. Sun 4 March 11am: Queen Elizabeth Hall Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Tots: Let's get on the bus! The first Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment Tots concert at the Southbank Centre. Suitable for those aged 6 and under and their families. Sun 4 March 7pm: Queen Elizabeth Hall Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment: Baroque Giants - Bach Hear some of Bach's most famous pieces at this concert directed by Laurence Cummings. Sun 4 March 1.30pm: Queen Elizabeth Hall Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment: Open Rehearsal A very special chance to catch the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in rehearsal. Sun 4 March 10pm: Queen Elizabeth Hall Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment: The Night Shift A "rules-free" music night, with live music and a DJ in the bar until late. Sat 3 March 1.30-6pm: London Coliseum ENO presents John Cage's MUSICIRCUS A host of performing talents take part in this promenade event of extraordinary sound and spectacle around the London Coliseum building. East Grays, Essex Sat 3 March 7.30pm: Civic Hall, Blackshots Lane Harmonie Concert Band presents Sporting Tracks The project will extend Aaron Parker's work with Harmonie Concert Band under Making Music's Adopt a Composer scheme. The final concert at Grays in Essex will be a musical and visual spectacle. Saffron Walden Sat 3 March 7.30pm: St Mary's Parish Church, Saffron Walden Maze Music Britten Sinfonia, Saffron Walden Choral Society, Granta Chorale and youth choir SignuptoSing present a Saffron Walden celebration and the premiere of MAZE by Janet Wheeler and Nick Warburton. Norfolk Sun 4 March 7.30pm: The Apex, Bury St Edmunds ORCHESTRAS LIVE: Academy of Ancient Music West Wiltshire Sat 3 March 7pm: Steam Museum, Great Western Hall, Swindon Superstrings: 'Vici' featuring Bellowhead World premiere of a new work by Pete Flood performed by Bellowhead and Superstrings. Sun 4 March 7.30pm: Wiltshire Music Centre, Bradford on Avon Birmingham Contemporary Music Group A collaboration with the South West Music School and Birmingham Contemporary Music Group has resulted in a dual event, a BCMG concert of British and internationally influential composers and a performance project with SWMS young players. Ludlow Sat 3 March 7.30pm: Ludlow Assembly Rooms Academy of Ancient Music A world class programme by the Academy of Ancient Music and award winning young violinist, Alina Ibragimova. East Midlands Nottingham Sat 3 March 7.30pm: Nottingham Royal Concert Hall Nottingham Youth Orchestra Journey through Olympic cities: Nottingham Youth Orchestra will present an evening in the Royal Concert Hall involving young athletes and schools in which musical reflections on past Olympic cities combine with the aspirations of Nottinghamshire's Olympic hopefuls. Hosted by Des Coleman, actor, presenter and West End Star. Derby Thu 1 March 7pm: Derby's Assembly Rooms Sinfonia VIVA Bright Spirits - a collaborative instrumental project bringing together the very best of Derby's professional and non-professional musicians in a unique shared performance involving new, devised work alongside existing repertoire. Sat 3 March 7.30pm: Derby's Assembly Rooms Sinfonia VIVA Invocation An inspiring evening of new music and dance from Sinfonia ViVA. Rutland Sat 3 March 7.30pm: Rutland County Museum Rutland Concert Band Multum in Parvo - A Celebration of Rutland. A story of Rutland's past, present and future inspired by the children who live there. West Midlands Shropshire Sun 4 March 3pm: St Mary's Church, Shrewsbury Northern Chamber Orchestra A concert featuring the world premiere of a new cello concerto by John Joubert alongside a programme of work by Sibelius, Delius and Mozart. Birmingham Fri 2 March 7.30pm: CBSO Centre, Birmingham A programme of Oliver Knussen, Gerald Barry, Colin Matthews, Aldo Clementi, Tansy Davies, Philip Cashian, Birtwistle, Maxwell Davies, John Woolrich, Donatoni and Thomas Adès. Sat 3 March 7.30pm: Carrs Lane Church, Birmingham Choir with No Name: One Nation Under a Groove A joyful concert performed by choirs made up of people affected by homelessness. Sat 3 March 4pm: Symphony Hall, Birmingham City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra: Tristan and Isolde Waner's timeless opera of illicit love, jealousy, death and transfiguration. Hanley Fri 2 March 8pm: Victoria Hall BBC Philharmonic An American adventure. East Yorks and Lincs Lincolnshire Sat 3 March 8pm: Stamford, Arts Centre European Union Chamber Orchestra This exciting programme features Romp by James Young, a new commission by the European Union Chamber Orchestra. Yorkshire Sheffield Sat 3 March All Day: various venues Alight - an All Day Festival Dozens of music, dance and visual arts events - something for everyone - led by Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus and featuring the Sheffield Giants. Sat 3 March 7.30pm: Sheffield city hall Alight, Twilight A unique, specially commissioned music & dance spectacular about the history of Sheffield from 1893 to the present, featuring over 600 local performers and including the world premier of Timothy Allen's Olympic Triptych. North West Manchester Sat 3 March 7.30pm: Bridgewater Hall Life, liberty and big, big tunes! Sat 3 March 7.30pm: George Lawton Hall Mossley Abney Orchestra & Choir Spinning a Yarn - a newly written musical work about the Industrial Revolution in the North West. Sun 4 March 7.30pm: George Lawton Hall Mossley Chester Sat 3 March 2pm: Chester Amphitheatre (Outdoors) A Handbag of Harmonies Women's choir A Handbag of Harmonies leads a massed choir of 400 in the performance of an original anthem, Across the World, with dance, live music and Chester's Giants. North East & Cumbria Cockermouth Sat 3 March 7.30pm: Christ Church, Cockermouth Orchestras Live The Scottish Ensemble The Scottish Ensemble features trumpeter Alison Balsom, including Seraph, a new work written for her by James MacMillan. Gateshead Across the weekend: Concourse, The Sage Gateshead Music Nation Weekend Concourse Performances Ensembles and performers of all ages from The Sage Gateshead's Learning and Participation programme will be showcasing their work throughout the weekend. Sat 3 March, 1pm: The Greggs Children's Room, The Sage Gateshead Planet Music Lively, fun and inclusive music-making activities for children aged 5 to 7 years and their families. Activities learnt in sessions can easily be used at home, creating a whole world of musical opportunity. Across the weekend: The Sage Gateshead The Sage Gateshead Young Musicians Programme: Weekend School Open Day Weekend School is an audition-based programme, providing top quality music tuition for talented young musicians aged 7-19. Today, potential new students, parents and teachers can come and see what Weekend School can offer. Throughout the day there will be performances by current students, the chance to observe some group lessons and tutors will be on hand to answer any questions, starting with a welcome talk in the Northern Rock Foundation Hall at 11am. Sat 3 March 12pm and 7pm concerts with workshops all day: Gateshead Old Town Hall Cobweb Orchestra A Celebration of English Music: join the award-winning Cobweb Orchestra for a day of participatory music-making and free celebratory concerts focusing on music by English composers. Sun 4 March 3pm: The Sage Gateshead - Hall 1 Northern Sinfonia Northern Sinfonia's Animal Antics: Orchestral entertainment for all the family Sun 4 March 8pm: The Sage Gateshead 20 000 Voices: A Gospel Celebration A showcase concert to celebrate 10 years of wonderful gospel music in the North East. Humberside Sun 4 March 7.30pm: City Hall, Hull The Scottish Ensemble Scotland Glasgow & W Scotland Glasgow Sat 3 March 7pm: Clyde Auditorium BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra A Sporting Fanfare: a spectacular celebration featuring Scottish musical and sporting stars of today and tomorrow. Renfrewshire all day Sat 3 March: various enues across Renfrewshire all day Sun 4 March: "The hub" - Paisley Town Hall, Paisley Abbey Weaving Musical Threads (Scottish Making Music) Celebrating Renfrewshire through the Arts: the people, history and its place in the world. 'Weaving Musical Threads' is an inspirational weave, showcasing talent and celebrating the Arts in and reflecting Renfrewshire. The most important thing is ... to take part. NE Scotland & N Isles Lerwick, Shetland Sun 4 March 7pm: Clickimin Leisure Complex The Sunday Symphony Full orchestral concert to include the world premiere of Chris Stout's new piece for the orchestra and Sibelius Symphony no 1, conducted by David Danzmayr. Shetland Across the weekend: various venues Royal Scottish National Orchestra Out and about workshops in local communities. Wales South East Wales Cardiff Sun 4 March 3pm: St David's Hall, Cardiff BBC National Orchestra of Wales: Music Nation Celebration This celebratory concert will showcase young talent from across Wales as they perform side by side with BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales. The concert will culminate in the world premiere of Songs of the Earth, created especially for the Music Nation celebration weekend by Welsh composer Karl Jenkins. Sat 3 March pm: 10.15am-1pm: St David's Hall Arts Active: Gamelan Taster Workshop Suitable for all 7 years upwards this is a fun and informal opportunity to have a go at playing the St David's Hall Gamelan set of Javanese percussion. Anyone can enjoy this session, no prior experience or musical expertise needed. Sat 3 March 11am-4pm: National Museum Wales, Cardiff Music at the Museum Regular performances throughout the day from young ensembles from Rhondda Cynon Taf, Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan Sat 3 March 11am-4pm: St Fagan's: National History Museum of Wales RWCMD chamber music at St Fagan's RWCMD chamber groups take over the Miners" Institute, giving free performances all day. Sun 4 March 11am-4pm: National Museum Wales, Cardiff Sun 4 March 11am-5pm: St Fagan's: National History Museum of Wales RWCMD Schools Opera at St Fagan's RWCMD Schools Opera brings stories from the Brothers Grimm to the Miners" Institute Sun 4 March 7pm: Dora Stoutzker Hall, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama BBC Young Musician Recital BBC Young Musician presents an evening of short recitals by Jennifer Pike (violin, BBC Young Musician 2002), Peter Moore (trombone, BBC Young Musician 2008) and Lucy Landymore (percussion, Category Winner 2010). Cardiff Bay Sat 3 & Sun 4 March 12 noon - 7pm: Wales Millennium Centre Foyer music on the Glanfa stage Free foyer music, with samba sessions, performances by community groups and showcasing of creative work in progress from WNO's Singing Club. Sat 3 March 7pm: Wales Millennium Centre WNO: The Marriage of Figaro A performance of The Marriage of Figaro in the WMC's Donald Gordon Theatre, including David Soar as Figaro. Sun 4 March 12 noon: Wales Millennium Centre National Cymanfa Ganu / Making Music Overture Led by Making Music Wales and Ty Cerdd, amateur groups across Wales are invited to take part in a simultaneous performance of traditional Welsh music and Orlando Gough's Making Music Overture, commissioned by Making Music. Newport Sat 3 March 7.30pm: The Riverfront Ensemble Cymru: National Tour The Ensemble's performances will feature music specially commissioned from composer Gareth Glyn for 16-piece Ensemble. North Wales Caernarfon Sat 3 March 7.30pm: Galeri Sinfonia Cymru: Celebration of Strings A wonderful array of music for strings, from Mozart's light-hearted Divertimento to Tchaikowsky's brilliantly colourful Serenade for Strings. North East Wales Mold Sun 4 March 7.30pm: Clwyd Theatre West Wales Cardigan Sun 4 March 8pm: Rhos y Gilwen All around Wales Caernarfon, Wrexham & Cardiff Sat 3 March 12 noon: Eagles Meadow Shopping Centre (Wrexham), Wales Millennium Centre & The Hayes (Cardiff) WNO: National Flash Mash An opportunity for singers to get involved and surprise passers-by in a Flash Mob performance of a mash-up of Welsh pop music and The Marriage of Figaro - anyone can join in! All materials downloadable from the web. Join a group at the organised venues, or start your own ... All over Wales A celebration of music making from Caernarfon to Cardiff with key events surrounded by performances. Sun 4 March 12 Noon: various venues Led by Making Music Wales and Ty Cerdd, amateur groups across Wales are invited to take part in a simultaneous performance of traditional welsh music and Orlando Gough's Making Music Overture, commissioned by Making Music. Joined the massed performance at the Wales Millennium Centre, or download the free sheet music and host an event of your own. Northern Ireland Belfast Sun 4 March 12.30pm: Belfast Waterford Hall Ulster Orchestra & RTE Concert Orchestra The Ulster and RTÉ Concert orchestras come together for the first time to perform a new work and BBC Radio 3 commission by Brian Irvine with words by Seamus Heaney. They will be joined on stage by Chapel Choir of Methodist College Belfast.