BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists scheme

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BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists scheme (also known as the NGA scheme) was launched in 1999 by Adam Gatehouse as part of the BBC's commitment to young musical talent.^[1][2]

Each autumn six or seven young artists at the beginning of careers on the national and international music scenes join the scheme for a two-year period. Since 2006 a jazz artist has also been invited every other year. The artists are given performance opportunities, including Radio 3 studio recordings, appearances and recordings with the BBC Orchestras and appearances at several music festivals, including the Cheltenham Music Festival and the BBC Proms. They also regularly appear at the Edinburgh International Festival, Aldeburgh Festival, East Neuk Festival, Gregynog Festival, London Festival of Baroque Music and the York Early Music Festival. Artists also appear at London's Wigmore Hall in the Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert series, as well as at the Sage Gateshead and other UK concert venues.^[3]

As part of the scheme Radio 3 has also collaborated with record companies, including nine co-production CDs with EMI Debut series, three of which (Belcea Quartet, Simon Trpceski and Jonathan Lemalu) have won Gramophone Awards for the best Debut CD of the year.^{[citation needed]} There have also been co-productions with Harmonia Mundi, Decca, BIS, Sony Classical, Onyx, Signum and Basho Music, while a number of New Generation Artists have also featured on BBC Music Magazine cover CDs.