About Broadcast Music Foundation

Stichting Omroep Muziek (SOM) comprises the Groot Omroepkoor (GOK) and the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra (RFO) and, with approximately 230 employees, is the production house for live music at the public broadcasting corporation. Within the framework of the Living Music remit, the SOM produces two large symphonic series for NPO Radio 4 on behalf of and in cooperation with the NTR and AVROTROS: the NTR Saturday Matinee and the AVROTROS Friday Concert. The broadcasting ensembles provide the lion's share of the concerts in these series and also regularly collaborate in The Sunday Morning Concert. We produce from our own building, the national monument Muziekcentrum van de Omroep, which also has permanent and occasional tenants and programs a number of well-run concert series. Since March 1, 2018, digitized sheet music owned by the Netherlands Broadcasting Music Foundation can be viewed and downloaded via the website muziekschatten.nl.

History

In August 2013, the SOM was established as the successor to the Netherlands Broadcasting Music Center Foundation. The new foundation brings together the resources and people who handle the programming and production of the public broadcaster's concert series with the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and the Groot Omroepkoor. Broadcasting partners are NTR and AVROTROS.

Live music
The above parties are responsible for the live music provided by the public broadcaster in concert series such as the NTR ZaterdagMatinee, the AVROTROS Vrijdagconcert and Het Zondagochtend Concert. These concerts are broadcast live on NPO Radio 4. The concert series are performed in public at the Royal Concertgebouw and TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht.

The Netherlands Broadcasting Music Center
The SOM owns the building, the Muziekcentrum van de Omroep at Heuvellaan 33 in Hilversum. This houses, besides the SOM ensembles Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Groot Omroepkoor, occasional tenants and permanent tenants such as the Metropole Orkest, the Hilversum music school Globe and dB media group.
For information about building and facilities, visit the Muziekcentrum van de Omroep site.

Music treasures
As of March 1, 2018, the revamped site www.muziekschatten.nl is online. 'Music Treasures' provides access to the digitized catalog of sheet music owned by the Broadcasting Music Foundation. The catalog allows registered and paying members to view and download a selection of digitized sheet music. The selection shows a representative part of the enormous collection of broadcast music and will be expanded with even more digitized material and background information. 'Muziekschatten' has been made possible by financial contributions from the Ministry of OCW, Municipality of Hilversum and an own investment by Stichting Omroep Muziek.

Former MCO
Previously, the Netherlands Broadcasting Music Center (MCO Foundation) consisted of the broadcasting ensembles Radio Philharmonic Orchestra, Groot Omroepkoor, Radio Kamer Filharmonie and Metropole Orkest, as well as the Netherlands Broadcasting Music Library and the MCO Education Department. Due to budget cuts, the Radio Chamber Philharmonic and the Music Library were disbanded and the Metropole Orchestra and MCO Education restarted on an independent basis.