BBC Studios Launches “Arts in Motion” Masterclasses

Created in partnership with Rolex, the program aims to enrich cultural engagement through masterclasses featuring renowned artists

BBC Studios has made over 2,800 hours of award-winning British programs in the last year for wide-ranging public service and commercial broadcasters and platforms, both in the UK and abroad. 

The studio has now launched the Arts in Motion editorial program series in partnership with Rolex. 

Produced by BBC Studios Specialist Factual Productions, the series will merge BBC Studios’ Arts & Culture programming and Rolex’s Perpetual Arts Initiative, which celebrates excellence in the arts globally.

The new series will involve six 23-minute masterclasses airing on the BBC News Channel, with the first episode spotlighting the Vienna Philharmonic.

Additionally, cultural figures including actor Brian Cox and pianist Yuja Wang will mentor young creatives through insights into creative processes and provide support for their artistic endeavors. The masterclasses will be available on BBC iPlayer in the UK and associated short form content on BBC.co.uk.

The BBC News Channel will also feature a collection of 32 vignettes, handpicked and edited for television as part of a holistic campaign to immerse audiences in the artists’ and mentors’ experience. 

These videos will feature the British-Turkish novelist Elif Shafak, Chinese film director Jia Zhang-Ke, singers from the Royal Ballet and Opera, musicians from the Salzburg Festival, artists Es Devlin and Alvaro Barrington, and more, as they provide personal insights into their artistry behind the scenes and the journey of the next generation of artists. 

The Producer Directors for the projects are Simon Lloyd and Gabriella Meade; the Digital Producers are Evanie Jean De-Souza and Jack Hussey; the Series Producer is John Mullen, and Tanya Hudson serves as the Executive Producer.

“Arts in Motion is a fantastic partnership that brings together BBC Studios unrivaled expertise in arts programming and Rolex’s passionate support of the arts,” said BBC Studios SVP Content Creation & Acquisition, Cassian Harrison in the press release. “We couldn’t be happier to be offering our audiences across the world, in both TV and online, such an unparalleled opportunity to see the very best artists of every genre showcasing their incredible skills.”

“Arts in Motion will allow global audiences to explore the very best in culture in a variety of different ways,” added Alan Holland, Head of Specialist Factual Productions at BBC Studios. “From intimate masterclasses with world renowned performers like Brian Cox and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, and many more, to behind the scenes access with leading figures from the creative arts across the globe, this series will bring a unique and eclectic insight to the creative process to our audiences on television, online and through social platforms.”

The first episode of Arts in Motion featuring the Vienna Philharmonic will air on the BBC News channel on October 5, 2024, at 12:30 GMT and on October 6 at 00:30, 07:30 and 19:30 GMT.