The BBC Philharmonic announced a new series entitled “The Music Room” with Chief Conductor Omer Meir Wellber.

The series kicks off on Thursday, July 16 at 8 p.m. BST, with filmed online in-conversations hosted by BBC Philharmonic Chief Conductor Omer Meir Wellber. Episodes will be released weekly on the BBC Philharmonic website and the orchestra’s Facebook page every Thursday at 8:00 p.m. BST.

“The Music Room: Beyond Beethoven” will explore each of Beethoven’s nine symphonies and promises to be a funny and inventive edutainment series.

Special guests — all filmed during lockdown — include actor, television presenter, DJ and poet Craig Charles; film, theater, radio and television actor, columnist and comedian Maureen Lipman; classical pianist, composer, and writer Stephen Hough; composer and violist Sally Beamish; Oxford University Faculty of Music Professor Laura Tunbridge; presenter, horn player and animator specializing in music education Tom Redmond, and musicians from the BBC Philharmonic. Additionally, Audiologist Sonja Jones investigates captivating theories behind the composer’s hearing loss by reviewing his autopsy.

The BBC Philharmonic also plans on releasing rare archive performances of Beethoven’s symphonies, all recorded at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall. The release of the archive performances will be available starting Monday, July 13, and can be found on the orchestra’s website.

“The Music Room: Beyond Beethoven” release coincides with the BBC-wide program, “Beethoven Unleashed,” running throughout the year. A new three-part documentary series entitled “Being Beethoven” launched on July 6 and examines Beethoven’s music in the context of his life and environment.

Wellber has established himself as one of today’s leading conductors of operatic and orchestral repertoire, holding the position of Principal Guest Conductor at the Semperoper Dresden since September 2018, his present role leading the BBC Philharmonic since July 2019, and the position of Music Director of the Teatro Massimo in Palermo since January 2020.