This is a summary of the year 2016 in British music.
Events 10 January – Rock icon David Bowie passes away of liver cancer, two days after the release of his final album; Bowie's illness had not been disclosed to the public until his death. Having stipulated that he did not want a funeral ceremony, Bowie is cremated two days later in New Jersey, USA, with arrangements for his ashes to be scattered in accordance with Buddhist rituals on the island of Bali. 13 January – Chetham's School of Music announces the appointment of Alun Jones as its new Head, effective September 2016. 28 January – Wigmore Hall live-streams performances for the first time. 4 February – The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla as its next music director, effective September 2016, with an initial contract of 3 years. She is the first female conductor to be named music director of the CBSO. 19 February – The Royal Philharmonic Society announces Sir Peter Maxwell Davies as the recipient of its 102nd Gold Medal. 24 February – The 2016 Brit Awards ceremony takes place at The O2, presented by Ant & Dec. David Bowie is awarded the "Brits Icon" award, a few weeks after his death. Actor Gary Oldman accepts the award on Bowie's behalf. 2 March – The Bridgewater Hall announces the appointment of Andrew Bolt as its new chief executive. 21 March – The Gloucester Cathedral Choir announces that it is to recruit girl choristers for the first time in its history, in April 2016. 22 March – Mark Wigglesworth announces his resignation as music director of English National Opera, effective at the end of the 2015–2016 season. 18 April – The Royal Northern College of Music announces the appointment of Sir John Tomlinson as its next president, for a term of 5 years, effective January 2017. 23 April – The London Woodwind Orchestra, the first professional woodwind orchestra in the UK, gives its debut performance at St John's Smith Square. 29 April – English National Opera announces the appointment of Daniel Kramer as its next artistic director, effective 1 August 2016. 12 May – The Stone Roses release their first new single in 21 years, "All For One", their first new material since their 2011 reformation. 14 May – The United Kingdom will compete in the final of this year's Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm, Sweden. This year's Joe and Jake will represent the United Kingdom with their song, You're Not Alone 15 May – Sheku Kanneh-Mason wins the 2016 BBC Young Musician of the Year award. 10–12 June – Download Festival 2016 takes place at Donington Park in Leicestershire. The Lemmy stage (named in honour of late Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister) was headlined by Rammstein, Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden, the Zippo encore stage by All Time Low, NOFX and Jane's Addiction, the Maverick stage by the Gutterdämmerung project by Bjorn Tagemose, Pennywise and Saxon, and the Dogtooth stage by Raging Speedhorn, Municipal Waste and Napalm Death. 12 June – Queen's Birthday HonoursBirthday Honours lists 2016 Rod Stewart is made a Knight Bachelor. Alison Balsom is awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE). Brian Lang, Colin Lawson, Paul Lewis, John McLeod are each made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. 13 June – The Royal Albert Hall announces that Chris Cotton, its current chief executive, is to retire. 24 June – Never heard during the composer's lifetime, Still Point by Daphne Oram receives its world premiere at St John's Smith Square, London, 67 years after Oram composed the work. 11 July – Release of Stand As One – Live at Glastonbury 2016, an album of live performances from the 2016 Glastonbury Festival in memory of Jo Cox, the MP recently killed in a violent attack; proceeds from the album will go towards helping Oxfam's work with refugees, Cox having worked for the charity for some years. 13 July – The Guildhall School of Music and Drama announces the appointment of Lynne Williams as its next principal, effective in 2017. 2 August – The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra announces the appointment of Dominic Parker as its new Director, in succession to Gavin Reid. 12 September – The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden announces the appointment of Oliver Mears as its next Director of Opera, effective March 2017. 8 October – The Wind in the Willows, a musical by Julian Fellowes with music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, receives its world première at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth. 16 October – Singer-songwriter Peter Skellern, suffering from an inoperable brain tumour, is ordained as an Anglican priest by the Bishop of Truro. 21 October – English National Opera announces the appointment of Martyn Brabbins as its new music director, with immediate effect, with an initial contract through October 2020. 24 October – The Royal Albert Hall announces the appointment of Craig Hassall as its next chief executive, effective 2017. 4 November – The UK government announced withdrawal of funding support for the proposed new London Concert Hall. 7 December – Northern Ireland Opera announces the appointment of Walter Sutcliffe as its next artistic director, effective February 2017. 13 December – The Queen's Hall, Edinburgh announces that its chief executive, Adrian Harris, is to retire at the end of December 2016. 30 December – New Year's Honours 2017 Dame Evelyn Glennie is made a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour. Ray Davies, Jeffrey Tate and Bryn Terfel are each made a Knight Bachelor. Lennox Mackenzie and Stephen Maddock are each made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. Iestyn Davies and Anthony Forbes are each made a Member of the Order of the British Empire.
Television series 8 January – Launch of the first series of Lip Sync Battle: UK on Channel 5, a British version of the American musical comedy television show where celebrities lip sync battle each other to various popular songs. 9 January – Launch of the fifth series of The Voice UK, the last to be broadcast by the BBC.
Artists and groups reformed Arab Strap Bentley Rhythm Ace Meet Me in St. Louis Spice Girls – GEM Super Furry Animals The Vapors The Zutons
Groups on hiatus
Bombay Bicycle Club One Direction
Groups disbanded Allo Darlin' The Bad Shepherds Bolt Thrower The Business Cherry Ghost Dead or Alive Funeral for a Friend FVK The Enemy Kosheen Lush Maybeshewill Palma Violets Viola Beach (all lost their lives in a road accident) Vondelpark Wodensthrone
Classical works Julian Anderson – Incantesimi Sally Beamish Chaconne (for organ) A Shakespeare Masque (text by Carol Ann Duffy) Luke Bedford Three CavesUniversal Edition page on Three Caves In Black Bright Ink Judith Bingham – The Orchid and Its HuntersRoyal Colletge of Music, Women in Music programme, 8 March 2016 Harrison Birtwistle – Five Lessons in a Frame Mark David Boden – Ghyll Charlotte Bray Agnus Dei Stone Dancer Falling in the Fire (for cello and orchestra) Diana Burrell – Concerto for Brass and OrchestraBBC Symphony Orchestra, 7 December 2016 programme Paul Carr – Violin Concerto Chiu-yu Chou – Tongue Desmond Clarke Viola Concerto Xyla Anna Clyne – This Lunar Beauty Ronald Corp – "Behold, the sea" Tom Coult Sonnet Machine Spirit of the Staircase Laurence Crane – Cobbled Section After Cobbled Section Stephen Deazley (music) and Martin Riley (text) – The Rattler James Dillon – The Gates for string quartet and orchestra Richard Emsley – Strange Attractor Edmund Finnis – Parallel Colour Alissa Firsova Paradisi Gloria'International Women's Day: BBC Symphony Orchestra and BBC Singers', Radio 3 in Concert – BBC Radio 3, 8 March 2016 Bride of the WindDavid Nice, 'Françoise-Green Piano Duo, St John's Smith Square'. The Arts Desk, 8 April 2016. Cheryl Frances-Hoad – Game On (for piano and Commodore 64) Michael Zev Gordon – In the Middle of Things Tom Harrold Nightfires Raze Malcolm Hayes – Violin Concerto Morgan Hayes – Overture: The Kiss Piers Hellawell – Wild Flow Thomas Hyde – Piano Trio: after PicassoClaire Seymour, 'Assured Performances by the Aquinas Piano Trio'. Seen and Heard International blog, 14 March 2016 Patrick John Jones – Locks of the approaching storm Mica Levi – Signal Before War Zoë Martlew – Broad St. Burlesque Christian Mason – Isolarion III Benedict Mason – Horns Strings and Harmony David Matthews – Norfolk MarchFaber Music page on David Matthews' Norfolk March Bayan Northcott – Concerto for Orchestra Ben Palmer – Flying in the Fire Roxanna Panufnik – Kyrie after Byrd Owain Park – Upheld by stillness Aaron Parker – After sunset fades Anthony Payne – Of Land, Sea and Sky Joseph Phibbs – Partita John Pickard – Symphony No 5 Michael Pisaro – fields have ears (10) Sophya Polevaya – Carousel Francis Pott – Laudate Dominum John Powell – A Prussian Requiem Alwynne Pritchard – Rockaby Ryan Probert – Mattei Derek Rodgers – Clarinet Concerto Matt Rogers – We Happened to Travel David Sawer – April\March Frederick Scott – Toccata seconda Percy Sherwood – Concerto for violin and cello Howard Skempton – Piano Concerto Mark-Anthony Turnage – Strapless (ballet in one act, choreography by Christopher Wheeldon) Roderick Williams – Ave verum corpus re-imagined Scott Wilson – head-neck-chest-four-five-six-thingBarber Institute of Fine Arts, 17 February 2016 programme John Woolrich – Swan Song
Opera Figaro Gets a Divorce by Elena Langer (libretto by David Pountney) is premièred on 21 February 2016 by Welsh National Opera in Cardiff."Figaro Gets a Divorce" , Welsh National Opera website, accessed 19 March 2015. Found and Lost by Emily Hall is premièred at the Corinthia Hotel London in January 2016. Other premieres: Thomas Adès and Tom Cairns – The Exterminating Angel Iain Bell (music), David Antrobus and Emma Jenkins (libretto) – In Parenthesis David Bruce and Glyn Maxwell – Nothing Nicholas Jackson – The Rose and the Ring Hannah Kendall and Tessa McWatt – The Knife of Dawn Stuart MacRae and Louise Welsh – The Devil Inside Sir Peter Maxwell Davies – The Hogboon Mark Simpson and Melanie Challenger – Pleasure Philip Venables – 4.48 Psychosis
Musical theatre Fantastic Mr Fox by Sam Holcroft, with music by Arthur Darvill. Half a Sixpence, co-created by Cameron Mackintosh with book by Julian Fellowes and music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe (also including several songs by David Heneker from the 1963 musical based on the same story. The Wind in the Willows by Julian Fellowes, with music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe
Musical films Sing Street
Film scores and incidental music
Film Erran Baron Cohen & David Buckley – Grimsby Charlie Mole – Dad's Army Rachel Portman – Their Finest
Television Debbie Wiseman – Dickensian
British music awards Brit Awards – see 2016 Brit Awards
Charts and sales For the first time in the history of the singles chart, the top three positions were occupied by the same artist. In the chart ending 14 January 2016, Justin Bieber was at number one with "Love Yourself", number two with "Sorry" and number three with "What Do You Mean?".
In the chart ending 4 February, David Bowie matched an album chart record of having 12 albums simultaneously in the top 40, a record set by Elvis Presley following his death in 1977. His album Best of Bowie also became the first ever album to reach number one due to streaming.
In the chart ending 3 November, Elvis Presley broke a record for most number-one albums for a solo artist when his album The Wonder Of You reached number one.
Number-one singles The singles chart includes a proportion for streaming.
+KeyBest performing single of the year