This is a summary of the year 2015 in British music.
Events 5 January – An official statement from Glyndebourne confirms that Danielle De Niese and her husband, Gus Christie, chairman of Glyndebourne Opera, are expecting their first child.Glyndebourne website: "Glyndebourne is delighted to announce that Mr and Mrs Gus Christie are expecting a baby in May". Retrieved 6 January 2015 15 January – The nominations for the 2015 Brit Awards are announced, with Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and George Ezra dominating many of the categories. 22 January – It is announced that BBC Radio 1's annual Big Weekend event this year will be held at Earlham Park, Norwich. 8 February – Sam Smith is the big winner at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, winning Best New Artist, and Record and Song of the Year for "Stay with Me" from the album In the Lonely Hour, which subsequently won Best Vocal Album. 25 February – Ed Sheeran and Paloma Faith win Best British Male and Female Solo Artist at this year's Brit Awards, with x winning Best Album and "Uptown Funk" winning Best Single. Notable moments of the night include Kanye West's controversial performance of "All Day" and Madonna falling off stage during her performance of "Living for Love". 27 February – Disgraced former glam rocker Gary Glitter is sentenced to 16 years in prison after being found guilty of sexual offences with minors dating back between 1975–1980 1 March – Audio streaming became incorporated into the UK Albums Chart. 3 March – The London Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Sir Simon Rattle as its next music director, effective September 2017, with an initial contract of 5 years. 7 March – The BBC confirms that Electro Velvet's 1920s inspired song "Still in Love with You" has been chosen to represent the UK at this year's Eurovision Song Contest. 9 March Sam Smith releases a special remake of their song "Lay Me Down", featuring John Legend, as this year's official Comic Relief single. English National Opera announces the appointment of Cressida Pollock as interim Chief Executive Officer. 10 March – Sarah Brightman confirms she has been working on a song with Andrew Lloyd Webber that she can perform in space aboard the International Space Station in September. Brightman subsequently withdraws from the planned flight, citing family commitments.Singer Sarah Brightman calls off flight to space station 13 May 2015 11 March The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Thomas Dausgaard as its 11th chief conductor, effective with the 2016–2017 season. Simon Halsey is announced as the recipient of the Queen's Medal for Music 2014. 18 March – Julian Lloyd Webber is confirmed as the Principal of Birmingham Conservatoire. 20 May – Ye Yanchen's new work, Septet, to be premiered at St Illtud's Church, Llantwit Major, by soloists from China’s National Centre for the Performing Arts Orchestra.Vale of Glamorgan Festival . Retrieved 6 January 2015 23 May – The United Kingdom is represented at the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria, by Electro Velvet, with the song "Still in Love with You". They finish 24th out of 27 entries, scoring five points. 12 June – Musicians recognised in the 2015 Birthday Honours include conductor Sir Neville Marriner (Companion of Honour) composers Karl Jenkins and James MacMillan who receive knighthoods, and singers Michael Ball (OBE) and Van Morrison (knighthood)PRIME MINISTER’S RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE BIRTHDAY HONOURS LIST 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2015 12–14 June – Download Festival 2015 takes place at Donington Park in Leicestershire. The main stage is headlined by Slipknot, Muse and Kiss, the Zippo encore stage by Black Stone Cherry, Marilyn Manson and Enter Shikari, the Maverick stage by Fightstar, Andrew W.K. and Yellowcard, Jake's Stage by A, Hey! Hello! and Suicidal Tendencies, and the Dog's Bed stage by Tim Vantol and Like a Storm. 21 June – Nadine Koutcher wins the 2015 BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition. September – A-level student Jessy McCabe persuades examination board Edexcel to ensure that female composers are in future included in its Music syllabus. 21 September – English National Opera announces the appointments of Harry Brünjes as chairman and confirms Cressida Pollock as CEO for an additional three years. 23 September – Welsh National Opera announces the appointment of Tomáš Hanus as music director for the 2016–2017 season, and of Carlo Rizzi as conductor laureate with immediate effect. 2 October – "Writing's on the Wall" by Sam Smith, the theme for the new James Bond movie Spectre, becomes the first ever Bond theme to reach number 1 in the UK. 23 October – "Hello", the lead single from Adele's third studio album 25, is released to intense global media attention. The album (released 20 November) becomes the fastest selling in UK chart history, ending the year on 2.5 million. 18 November – The Three Choirs Festival announces that Alexis Paterson will take over as chief executive in January 2016. 13 December – Louisa Johnson wins the twelfth series of The X Factor. Reggie 'n' Bollie are named runner-ups, while Ché Chesterman and Lauren Murray finish in third and fourth place respectively. December – As a result of a campaign led by student Jessy McCabe, exam board Edexcel announces that it has changed its A-level music syllabus to include female composers.
Television series 10 January Launch of the fourth series of The Voice UK. Return of Stars in Their Eyes after nearly ten years off air. 14 February – Peter Sarsfield wins the first revival series of Harry Hill's Stars in Their Eyes, impersonating Frankie Valli. 16 January – Sound of Song, presented by Neil BrandBBC Media Centre. Retrieved 6 January 2015 26 January – Launch of new music based entertainment show, South Side Story. 2 February – Global Radio, the owners of pop music channel Heart TV, are reprimanded by Ofcom after the channel played 72 seconds more than the permitted amount of advertising during one particular hour in October 2014. Global says the incident occurred when a commercial break was pushed to the end of an hour, creating too much advertising time for the following hour. 14 February – Stars in Their Eyes is cancelled again after critical reviews of its revamped format. 7 March – Reginald D. Hunter's Songs of the South begins on BBC Two."Reginald D Hunter's Songs of the South, BBC Two, review: 'fascinating'", The Telegraph, 8 March 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2015 26 May – The BBC announces that its music panel quiz Never Mind the Buzzcocks is to end after 18 years and 28 series. 28 June – Pappano's Classical Voices begins on BBC Four.BBC Four – Pappano's Classical Voices. Retrieved 28 June 2015 29 August – Launch of the twelfth series of The X Factor. 19 December – Jay McGuinness of The Wanted and his dance partner Aliona Vilani win the thirteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing. 20 December – The Sound of Music Live is broadcast on ITV, starring Kara Tointon and Julian Ovenden.
Publications Karl Jenkins – Still with the MusicBoosey & Hawkes. Retrieved 9 March 2016
Artists and groups reformed
Bay City Rollers Black Grape The Bluetones Busted Faithless The King Blues Lush Simply Red Supertramp We've Got a Fuzzbox and We're Gonna Use It
Groups on hiatus
Blur The Saturdays
Groups disbanded
Does It Offend You, Yeah? Heart In Hand Flesh for Lulu Kingsland Road Klaxons Motörhead Neon Jungle Noah and the Whale Ph.D Rise to Remain Stereo Kicks
Classical works Eleanor Alberga – Arise, Athena! Julian Anderson In lieblicher Bläue (Violin Concerto) Van Gogh Blue Richard Ayres – No 48 (In the Night Studio) Guy Barker – The Lanterne of LightProm 69, BBC Proms/BBC Radio 3, 6 September 2015 Gerald Barry – The One-Armed Pianist Sally Beamish – "Be still" (Introit)BBC Radio 3, Choral Evensong, 4 March 2015 Luke Bedford Instability Saxophone Quartet Fiona Bennett – The New Lady Radnor's Suite Judith Bingham Ghostly GraceJudith Bingham, "How I wrote the music for the reinterment of King Richard III". Gramophone blog entry, 18 March 2015 Zodiack Harrison Birtwistle The Cure The Silk House Sequences Victoria Borisova-Ollas – ... and time is running past midnight ...Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra programme, 22/23 October 2015 Mark Bowden and Owen Sheers – A Violence of Gifts Gary Carpenter – Dadaville Pete Churchill – Echoes: A Song of Poland James Clapperton – Northern Sky Anna Clyne – The SeamstressLawrence A Johnson, 'Clyne's Seamstress could use more stitchwork in mixed CSO premiere'. Chicago Classical Review, 29 May 2015 Edward Cowie – Three Spitfire Motets'BBC Singers at RAF Museum' programme, 18 September 2015 Paul Crabtree – O Icarus Laurence Crane: Chamber Symphony No 2 ('The Australian') Tansy Davies – Re-greening Benjamin Ellin – Miyabi – Concerto for Violin and OrchestraPhilharmonia Orchestra, programme for 3 September 2015, Cadogan Hall David Fennessy – Hirta Rounds Michael Finnissy – Janne Peter Fribbins – Violin ConcertoWhat's on at Cadogan Hall. Retrieved 10 January 2015 Alexander Goehr Variations (Homage to Haydn), for solo piano Seven Impromptus, op 96, for two pianos'Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival Premieres Two New Works by Alexander Goehr'. Schott EAM page, 1 July 2015 Helen Grime – Concerto for clarinet and trumpet Barry Guy – Mr Babbage is Coming to Dinner Robin Holloway Soldered Schumann Silvered Schubert Europa and the Bull (tuba concerto) Mica Levi – Greezy James MacMillan A Little Mass Symphony No 4 Colin Matthews and Michael Morpurgo – The Pied Piper of Hamelin David Matthews – Symphony No 8Faber Music page on David Matthews' Symphony No 8, 20 April 2015 Melinda Maxwell – FRACTURES: Monk Unpacked Christopher Mayo – Supermarine Anna Meredith – Smatter Hauler Thea Musgrave – Power Play Mark Simpson Israfel The Immortal (text by Melanie Challenger) Howard Skempton – The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Errollyn Wallen – Rebuttal Blues No 1 Bertram Wee – DithyrambsBBC Proms, Proms Chamber Music 4, 10 August 2015, Cadogan Hall Judith Weir – Good Morning, Midnight Michael Wolters – Requiem to LetBirmingham Weekender, Requiem to Let Hugh Wood – Epithalamion Raymond Yiu – Symphony
Opera 21 May – UK premiere of Gaetano Donizetti's Poliuto at Glyndebourne.Glyndebourne – Events. Retrieved 28 January 2015 Charlotte Bray and Amy Rosenthal – Entanglement Tansy Davies and Nick Drake – Between Worlds Matt Rogers and Sally O'Reilly – The Virtues of Things Joby Talbot and Gene Scheer – Everest
Musical theatre
Bend It Like Beckham the Musical, with music by Howard Goodall, lyrics by Charles Hart, and book by Gurinder Chadha and Paul Mayeda Berges School of Rock, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and book by Julian Fellowes The Mirror Never Lies, music by Juan Iglesias, book and lyrics by Joe Giuffre, based on a novel by Barbara PymRADA: The Mirror Never Lies – a new musical . Retrieved 4 December 2015
Musical films Kill Your Friends, starring Nicholas Hoult and Georgia King. London Road, starring Olivia Colman and Anita Dobson
Film scores and incidental music
Film Craig Armstrong – Far from the Madding Crowd Patrick Doyle – Cinderella George Fenton – Absolutely Anything Henry Jackman – Kingsman: The Secret Service
Television Anne Dudley – Poldark Debbie Wiseman – Wolf HallDebbie Wiseman official website . Retrieved 28 January 2015
British music awards Brit Awards See 2015 Brit Awards
British Composer Awards Amateur or Young Performers: Kate Whitley – Alive Choral: James Dillon – Stabat Mater dolorosa Community or Educational Project: Stuart Hancock – Snapshot Songs Contemporary Jazz Composition: Trish Clowes – The Fox, The Parakeet & The Chestnut Large Chamber: Sinan Savaskan – Many stares (through semi-nocturnal Zeiss-Blink) – Module 30 Liturgical: Michael Finnissy – John the Baptist Orchestral: Harrison Birtwistle – Responses: Sweet disorder and the carefully careless