BBC Radio 2 launches Piano Room Month

14 January 2022 - Press release

In what will be Radio 2’s biggest celebration of live music in a decade, twenty of pop’s best-loved artists will be performing for Radio 2’s Piano Room Month - accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra - live from London’s BBC Maida Vale studios from Monday 31^st January to Friday 25^th February. 

The gigs will be broadcast live in Ken Bruce’s Radio 2 show (Monday to Friday, 9.30am-12pm) and on BBC Sounds. Each artist will perform three tracks – a new song, a classic, and a cover – with members of the BBC Concert Orchestra accompanying alongside them. Following the live shows, each performance will be available to watch live on BBC iPlayer then on demand from 6pm that day and available for 30 days afterwards. Ken’s PopMaster quiz - which sees two contestants compete in a pop quiz - remains daily at 10.30am. 

In addition to the live broadcasts, an hour-long special will be broadcast on Radio 2 each Sunday (7-8pm) featuring highlights from the previous week’s performances (Sunday 6^th, 13^th, 20^th and 27^th February). 

Jeff Smith, Radio 2’s Head of Music, said: “At Radio 2 we pride ourselves on providing our music-loving listeners with the widest range of songs and live music to be heard anywhere on UK radio. We worked hard to offer incredible performances to our audience throughout the past two years, and I’m thrilled to bring 20 live sessions to each of Ken’s weekday shows next month. I’d like to thank all of the artists, most of whom will be performing their first live session of 2022, as well as the BBC Concert Orchestra, who have been busy rehearsing a vast range of different songs. Tune in live, watch them all on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds.” 

Ken Bruce said: “I predict cold, rain and possibly even a smattering of snow this February, so what better remedy than to sit back with a warm brew and join me and some of the finest musicians in the world for Radio 2’s Piano Room Month.” 

The artists performing are: 

• Monday 31^st January              David Gray
• Tuesday 1^st February             Jack Savoretti
• Wednesday 2^nd February       Stereophonics
• Thursday 3^rd February            Anne-Marie
• Friday 4^th February                 Katie Melua
• Monday 7^th February              Clean Bandit
• Tuesday 8^th February             Joy Crookes
• Wednesday 9^th February        Will Young - performing on the anniversary of him winning Pop Idol in 2002
• Thursday 10^th February          Rebecca Ferguson
• Friday 11st February              Tom Odell
• Monday 14^th February            James Morrison
• Tuesday 15^th February           Ella Henderson
• Wednesday 16^th February      Craig David
• Thursday 17^th February          Natalie Imbruglia
• Friday 18^th February               James Blunt
• Monday 21^st February            Tears For Fears
• Tuesday 22^nd February          Simple Minds
• Wednesday 23^rd February      Emeli Sandé
• Thursday 24^th February          Jamie Cullum (pre-recorded)
• Friday 25^th February               Ed Sheeran (pre-recorded)    

Bill Chandler, Director BBC Concert Orchestra, says: “The BBC Concert Orchestra takes great pride in its Radio 2 home and is excited to collaborate with such a range of world-class musicians for its Piano Room Month. As the UK’s most versatile orchestra, we’re thrilled to help bring these extra-special live performances to audiences across the month of February.” 

Given the ongoing situation with Covid, please note that artists are subject to change at short notice. 

Radio 2 delivered live music to listeners throughout the lockdown with Radio 2 House Music sessions which launched in lockdown 2020 and featured some of the biggest names in music including Barry Manilow, Melanie C, Kelly Clarkson, Cliff Richard, Joan Armatrading, Lola Lennox and Jessie Ware, with many accompanied remotely by the BBC Concert Orchestra. 

In 2020 Radio 2 Live at Home featured performances from around the world with Sheryl Crow from her ranch in California, Craig David, Erasure in the UK and New York, Sir Tom Jones, The Killers on the roof of Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, John Legend from his home terrace in LA, McFly, Gregory Porter on the roof of Capitol Records Tower in LA, The Pretenders and Nile Rodgers & CHIC feat. Rebecca Ferguson in the UK and New York. Radio 2 Live in 2021 featured four gigs in four nations, each in front of small socially-distanced audiences with Manic Street Preachers in Cardiff, Steps in Manchester, Westlife in Belfast and Texas in Glasgow. 

And Radio 2 In Concert returned last December with performances from Duran Duran and Coldplay in front of an audience at the BBC’s Radio Theatre in London. 

The mission of the BBC Concert Orchestra is to bring inspiring musical experiences to everyone, everywhere, with the ensemble’s versatility as the key. The orchestra can be heard on BBC Radio 2’s Sunday Night Is Music Night and for BBC Radio 3 it explores a wide selection of music, ranging from classical to contemporary. The orchestra has performed on many soundtracks, including Blue Planet and Serengeti for BBC One and for George the Poet’s award-winning podcast for BBC Sounds. In February 2021 it performed for the BBC One and BBC Radio 2 national celebration of musical theatre, Musicals: The Greatest Show. 

The orchestra appears annually at the BBC Proms, and is an Associate Orchestra at the Southbank Centre. Along with its regular engagements throughout the UK, the orchestra tours internationally – most recently performing in Malta for the BBC Radio 2 broadcast, It’s a Kind of Magic – The Queen Story. The BBC Concert Orchestra offers enjoyable and innovative education and community activities and take a leading role in the BBC Ten Pieces, the BBC Young Composer competition and the newly launched BBC Open Music programme. 

BBC Radio 2 is the UK’s most listened to radio station, with a weekly audience of 14.6 million (RAJAR Q3, 2021), and won Station Of The Year at the Music Week 2021 awards. The network’s presenters include Michael Ball, Zoe Ball, Tony Blackburn, OJ Borg, Rev. Kate Bottley, Ken Bruce, Craig Charles, Dr Rangan Chatterjee, Fearne Cotton, Sara Cox, Jamie Cullum, Gary Davies, Vanessa Feltz, Paul Gambaccini, Bob Harris, Ana Matronic, Cerys Matthews, Jason Mohammad, Trevor Nelson, Paul O’Grady, Dermot O’Leary, Elaine Paige, Mark Radcliffe, Rylan, Liza Tarbuck, Jeremy Vine, Johnnie Walker, Jo Whiley, Claudia Winkleman and Steve Wright.