B:Music Guide

bmusic.co.uk

Liv e d n a loud m in gha n i m r i

Todrick Hall brings that fabulosity to Brum’s Town Hall

United by a love of music Last year I joined the hugely popular Birmingham Pride carnival parade with colleagues from B:Music, alongside many other West Midlands-based companies and organisations. This celebration of diversity and inclusion was one I was proud to be part of.

B:Music works with a wide range of local communities who, like us, believe that music is essential to everyone and has the power to transform and change lives, to entertain and uplift, to create shared experiences and to educate.

The tragic death of 12-year-old Louis Watkiss will be commemorated by our community of jazz artists and emerging talent in April. We will come together in tribute to the talented saxophone player from Sutton Coldfield, who had taken part in our annual Summer School just a month before his passing.

Projects such as the annual Summer School are part of a range of talent development initiatives from the Birmingham-based music charity, supporting and inspiring the next generation of the city’s musical talent. Louis’s talent was taken too soon.

There are 6.5 million carers in the UK looking after a dependent such as a parent, partner, child or friend; 292,866 are living in the West Midlands; and 107,380 are living in Birmingham. Caring for a family member or dependent can take a serious toll on carers’ emotional and physical wellbeing, not to mention personal relationships and family finances.

We continue to create a free monthly musical event for Birmingham’s unpaid family carers to come together for a brief musical moment of respite in our brand-new spaces at Symphony Hall.

Community Spirit, a project run in partnership with Associate Artists, Black Voices will celebrate it’s 10 Year Anniversary at Symphony Hall in July, offering local community choirs the opportunity to share repertoire and perform in this a large-scale, mass-singing project.

Live music is a unique act of communion between performers and audience – a shared experience often remembered forever. It brings me great joy that our venues have become places where people come together to make these memories.

I look forward to welcoming you to your next concert or event soon.

Nick Reed Chief Executive

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Food and drink served in the heart of Birmingham from the transformed spaces at Symphony Hall, a B:Music venue.

Our seasonal menu is full of classic dishes with contemporary twists, alongside snackable sharing platters or even coffee and cake.

Whether you’re on a day out in the city with family and friends, or attending a concert at our iconic concert hall, B:Eats is the perfect place to relax and enjoy the incredible views of Centenary Square. bmusic.co.uk/beats

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Piali Ray OBE March Themba Mvula April Miloš May NOYO June The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

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Piali Ray OBE Piali Ray OBE on Sampad’s return to B:Music venues Symphony Hall and Town Hall The director of the Birmingham-based South Asian arts and heritage organisation previews Sampad’s exciting new live events partnership with B:Music Asian Spring, Sampad South Asian Arts & Heritage’s annual showcase of dance, colour and costume, was one of the last events to take place at Town Hall before the UK lockdown was announced in March 2020. “That event ended on such a high,” Sampad’s director Piali Ray OBE recalls now. “It was going to be the start of an eventful year for Sampad - then the pandemic hit, and we all went indoors.”

Sampad persevered through those tough and unpredictable times, primarily by exploring online opportunities. “We maximised on the problem we faced, and turned it round as best we could,” Piali adds. “But we did sustain and continue.”

When live events finally returned in 2021, Sampad were rewarded for their persistence through a new partnership with B:Music to bring the very best in South Asian performance to Symphony Hall and Town Hall.

We spoke to Piali about Sampad’s relationship with B:Music so far, the return of their free music and dance series Mid-Day Mantra at Symphony Hall and what Sampad has planned for the rest of 2022.

How has Sampad’s close relationship with B:Music evolved over the years? “We’re really happy and really proud of the two B:Music spaces in the centre of Birmingham that enable programming of a whole range of music styles and events for our audiences. We have a very diverse audience now in Birmingham, and we work across the city and in a whole range of spaces to develop our activities. Our high-profile events - which recognise the quality of South Asian artists’ work - attract audiences to venues like Symphony Hall and Town Hall.”

Sampad had been hoping to celebrate their 30th anniversary in 2020… ”We’d planned a series of events that would run throughout 2020. The opening event was Asian Spring, where we launched our 30-year celebration with a promise: ‘Look out for all the other things that are going to take place the rest of the year!’ And, of course, all of that disappeared!”

How did Sampad adapt during lockdown? “It was really a chance to re-train our brains and our approach. We wanted to keep the connections open with our artists and audiences.

Going online opened up other avenues: we were connecting with artists in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the US and Canada, and, as such, with audiences in those countries.

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We maximised on the problem we faced, and turned it round as best we could. But we did sustain and continue.”

Sampad is now back in action at Symphony Hall with the ongoing Mid-Day Mantra series. How good is it to have live performance back? “We have come out of a period not of hibernation, but of mindfulness. It’s made all of us look inside of ourselves and around us, [recognise] what is important in life and how we engage and express that through our narratives, music, stories and so on. That’s going to be a strong line throughout our Mid-Day Mantra programme: we want to make it accessible, connect with as many people as we can and engage with the artists. We’re bringing a real diverse range of music through our Mid-Day Mantras.”

What has the Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space at Symphony Hall added to the Mid-Day Mantra experience?

“We’re delighted with the new space, which looks out onto Centenary Square. We’ll have a singer performing a peppy Bollywood number or a piece of sublime classical music, and behind them the sun is shining on these beautiful buildings in the square. You can see Birmingham out there, and you’re in this beautiful space enjoying music: it’s magical. I’ve always loved Mid-Day Mantras: it’s intimate, the music creates a warm ambience and people love that close connection with the artist. For the spring season, we’re focusing on women artists and music-makers. You’ll meet some very talented, amazing women who are creating and performing different styles of Indian music. We’ll close with our spring bonanza around the time of Holi, the festival of colours.”

Asian Spring is set to return to Town Hall in April. What can people expect? “It’ll be our 22nd Asian Spring, and it’s something that dancers, dance groups and teachers in the region always look forward to. They create work especially for this event, and there’s an amazing diversity of dance: folk, contemporary, jive, street, Indian Bollywood, Indian classical.

The imagination and creativity of the dancers; there’s a subtle competition among them, which I think is good! We get around 16 groups from across the Midlands: it’s a real, true and colourful diversity of dance performance. We want to get people up and dancing!”

What else does Sampad hope to achieve in 2022? “We’re really keen to lift people’s spirits, because it’s been so difficult for all of us: it’s been really dark, there’s been loss and people are scared. As artists we have a role to play, and we have the capacity to lift their spirits through creativity and by creating opportunities for people to connect with their own stories and other people’s stories. I think well-being and finding that feel-good factor is very important for every citizen. We will try to do that through our work to make people feel good about themselves, and be kind to others. And to celebrate the Commonwealth Games coming to Birmingham! We’re proud of that: we have to celebrate that.”

Sampad’s ‘Mid-Day Mantra: Spring Series Finale’ will take place at the Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space at Symphony Hall on 26th March, 2022. Asian Spring will return to Town Hall on 10th April, 2022.

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#MusicConnectsUs Fancy a slice?

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Photo: @ginnylemo n69 on Instagram

March

Ginny Lemon performs at Symphony Hall in March 2022 11

March

Satinder Sartaaj Fri 4 March | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM Returning to Symphony Hall once again, Satinder Sartaaj. A multi-gifted songwriter, singer, composer, poet and actor.

Adam Ant Tue 1 March | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM Pop icon Adam Ant is back with a set list that promises to get everyone on their feet. Performing his classic chart-topping singles and personal favourites, Adam Ant’s Antics will thrill audiences.

Tony Visconti & Woody Woodmansey present The Best of Bowie Wed 2 March | Town Hall | 8PM David Bowie’s former producer/ bassist Tony Visconti and drummer Woody Woodmansey get ready to launch their new Bowie project ‘The Best Of Bowie’ featuring long time fan and friend Heaven 17’s Glenn Gregory plus the all star Holy Holy band in April 2021.

Dick & Angel: Dare to do it!

Wed 2 March | Symphony Hall | 8PM

Housewarming Sessions: Rise-Up Showcase Fri 4 March | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 5PM Rise Up is a B:Music initiative which offers talented female musicians from the region mentorship from world renowned jazz musicians, access to rehearsal spaces in the iconic Symphony Hall, a B:Music venue and a platform to showcase their musical and compositional talent through concerts and access to recording studios.

Dick & Angel Strawbridge, the stars of Channel 4 hit ‘Escape to the Chateau’ are on the road again on their ‘Dare to do it’ Tour with so much more to say. During this highly entertaining evening, the duo explains who they are, where they have come from, how they met and why they dared to do it!

The Smartest Giant in Town Sat 5 March | Town Hall | 11AM & 1PM A musical adaptation of the bestselling book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. This heart-warming tale about friendship and helping those in need is brought to life in a musical, puppet-filled adventure.

Beatfreeks & B:Music present: Poetry Jam: Live!

Thu 3 March | Justham Family Room & Jane How Room | 7PM From poets who are just starting out to seasoned veterans, and everyone else with a story to tell - this non-genre specific open mic night can cover love, to comedy, very personal topics, and much more.

Michael English Thu 3 March | Town Hall | 7:30PM Irish country music sensation Michael English makes a welcome return to Birmingham with his superband and a spectacular musical extravaganza. This brand-new tour is guaranteed to be his best yet covering all his hits & more!

Tommy Emmanuel plus special guest Jerry Douglas Fri 4 March | Town Hall | 7:30PM If you like guitar playing, it simply doesn’t get any better than Tommy Emmanuel.

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Nobuyuki Tsujii Sat 5 March | Town Hall | 7:30PM Japanese pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii (Nobu), who has been blind from birth, won the joint Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2009 and has gone on to earn an international reputation for the passion and excitement he brings to his live performances.

An audio-described documentary, Meet Nobuyuki Tsujii will be screened at 7PM, before the recital

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bmusic.co.uk Texas Sat 5 March | Symphony Hall | 7.30PM For over 30 years, Texas have proved themselves to be one of Scotland’s best ever bands and nothing short of a national treasure south of the border.

Status Quo plus special guests Sun 6 March | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM Britain’s best-loved rockers Status Quo are coming back to reclaim their position on the live circuit – with a brand new tour. The ‘Out Out Quoing’ UK & Eire Spring Tour in 2022 will visit 14 venues before the band head out into Europe.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor: The Kitchen Disco Tour Mon 7 March | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Instagram Live Kitchen Disco’s during the Covid19 lockdown were a means of virtual escapism for many, and became weekly moments of united sequined catharsis for the hundreds of thousands tuning in. Now as we emerge into the world again, Sophie has announced the Kitchen Disco Tour.

Louis Watkiss Memorial Concert Sat 5 March | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 10AM This concert commemorates Louis Watkiss and the talent he developed at Symphony Hall, a B:Music venue.

“Louis was a son, a brother, a grandson, a cousin and a friend. Louis was a studious pupil who enjoyed learning, showing immense curiosity about the world around him.

Reaching grade 5 at saxophone through the Royal Academy of Music, his involvement in two jazz ensembles demonstrated his passion for music.

James Martin: Live Tue 8 March | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM About the show, Martin said, “Of course, I’ll be cooking and trying to teach everyone some tips and tricks but fear not, there will be plenty of humour injected into these shows so prepare to have a really good night out.”

Louis supported Chelsea and England football clubs and followed England Cricket and Birmingham Bears, regularly watching both sports, along with cheering on AJ (Anthony Joshua) and Tyson Fury for their big heavyweight fights.

We are so thankful George had five happy years with his brother, and he will hold dear the memory of Louis’ stoic personality.

Flo & Joan

We are eternally grateful for the honour of knowing Louis and the pleasure of raising him.

Tue 8 March | Town Hall | 8PM

With Louis’ passing, we remind others that his life is one to be celebrated; although we will miss him every day, especially his winning smile, Louis will remain forever in our hearts.

Multi-award winning musical comedy duo (and sisters) Flo & Joan are climbing out of their pits, armed with a piano and percussion section to bring you a brand new show of their critically acclaimed songs and comedy.

We love Louis very much. Our pride. Our joy. Our love.

We miss him so much it hurts.”

The Family of Louis Watkiss

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Nashville Sounds in the Round Wed 9 March | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 8PM Nashville Style songwriter round where artists are invited to tell the stories behind their songs, taking us back to their origins and transporting the audience right back to the writers rooms. Hosted by multi award-winning duo Gasoline & Matches, feat. Deeanne Dexeter, Tim Prottey-Jones & Namywa.

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March Housewarming: Gabriella Liandu Fri 11 March | Jennifer Blackwell Peformance Space | 5PM As we welcome audiences in to our transformed spaces at Symphony Hall, our Friday Jazz Foyer sessions have been relaunched as the Housewarming Sessions. We will be collaborating with partners across the UK jazz scene to celebrate emerging and established artists for you to enjoy.

Paul Carrack Fri 11 March | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM Paul Carrack, one of the most revered voices in music and a figurehead of soulful pop for decades, will return to the delight of his legions of admirers, performing 24 dates across the UK on the Good & Ready Tour 2022.

Sax in the City with the Notebenders Sat 12 March | Jennifer Blackwell Peformance Space | 1:30PM B:Music welcome back the Ladywood-based community big band to Symphony Hall to uplift with their unique mix of jazz and calypso music.

Camilla George Tue 15 March | Symphony Hall Stage | 8:30PM Explosive London based band led by award winning Nigerian born saxophonist, Camilla George features many of the leading lights of the new UK Jazz Scene which has produced the likes of Nubya Garcia, Ezra Collective and more. This will be a night of unforgettable new music!

Tangerine Dream: From Virgin Years to Quantum Years Tour 2020 Sun 13 March | Town Hall | 7:30PM Founded by Edgar Froese in 1967, Tangerine Dream were one of the major forces behind the introduction of Electronic Music and the Synthesizer to popular culture.

Lunchtime Organ Concert

Musical Meet Up: Demi Marriner Wed 16 March | Jennifer Blackwell Peformance Space | 11:30AM B:Music and Midland Mencap are delighted to launch this new and free monthly event for Birmingham’s unpaid family carers. You’re invited to unwind at these relaxed musical performances, whilst enjoying live music from the best talent in Brum.

Mon 14 March | Town Hall | 1PM History is built into the very walls of Town Hall, Birmingham, and when City Organist Thomas Trotter plays the organ there, that heritage springs vibrantly to life.

Shamrock Tenors Thu 17 March | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM

Music on Monday with Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Mon 14 March | Jennifer Blackwell Peformance Space | 1PM Music on Mondays is a collaborative project between B:Music and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire that offers students from a wide range of departments to perform in the newly-transformed spaces at Symphony Hall, a B:Music venue.

They have wowed audiences around the world – now Shamrock Tenors are heading to Birmingham for an unmissable St Patrick’s Day celebration.

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Jazzlines Family Jam Sat 19 March | Jennifer Blackwell Peformance Space | 10:30AM Are you ready to make instant music? Warm up your voice and grab an instrument! This session is about exploring the aural skills that Jazz and Folk musicians share across the globe.

Dr John Cooper Clarke Sun 20 March | Town Hall | 7:30PM In celebration of his long-awaited new autobiography ‘I Wanna Be Yours’, the original ‘people’s poet’ Dr. John Cooper Clarke has announced a very special UK tour including a return to Birmingham.

University of Birmingham Music Society presents: A Musical Heritage Sat 19 March | Town Hall | 7:30PM The University of Birmingham has played a key role in the musical life of the City, To celebrate this rich musical heritage the University Philharmonic Orchestra, Birmingham University Singers, and University Upper Voices will perform together. Hear music from University composers and a selection of composers with whom the University is proud to hold strong creative connections.

Karl Jenkins in Concert Sun 20 March | Symphony Hall | 2:30PM Sir Karl Jenkins conducts a superb selection of his most popular works.

Go West - Celebrating 35 Years: Live with Orchestra, plus special guests Cutting Crew Sat 19 March | Symphony Hall | 8PM Award-winning 80s pop icons Go West are celebrating their 35th anniversary with a run of UK shows in May 2021 featuring a full live orchestra, plus very special guests Cutting Crew.

Wardruna Mon 21 March | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM Masterful Norwegian storytellers Wardruna sign to Sony Music/ Columbia Records for the world (partnering with Music for Nations for the UK), and announce European tour dates for 2022.

Aretha’s Anthems with Black Voices Sun 20 March | Jennifer Blackwell Peformance Space | 7:30PM B:Music’s Associate Artists Black Voices perform music by the late great Aretha Franklin.

With a voice that was bred from gospel, blues and jazz, Franklin’s work across her 50 year career was immeasurably important not just in terms of her cultural impact in 20th century America but also with the countless artists whom she inspired.

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The Dublin Legends Mon 21 March | Town Hall | 7:30PM The Dublin Legends, Sean Cannon, Paul Watchorn & Gerry OConnor, have over 60 years of performing with The Dubliners between them.

Hear classic songs including Whiskey in The Jar, Dirty Old Town, The Wild Rover, Seven Drunken Nights, Black Velvet Band & more. Shay Kavanagh joined the line-up in 2017.

Nitin Sawhney Tue 22 March | Town Hall | 7:30PM Senbla and Sony Music Masterworks are thrilled to present Nitin Sawhney’s November UK Tour. The critically acclaimed, multi award winning producer, composer and musician will play five special nights in some of the UKs most intimate venues.

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March

Fascinating Aida Thu 24 & Fri 25 March | Town Hall | 7:30PM

ECHO Rising Stars: Simply Quartet Tue 22 March | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 5:30PM This multinational, young, thriving, Vienna-based ensemble are a growing presence in the chamber music world.

Dillie Keane, Adèle Anderson and Liza Pulman are heading back out on tour.

With a selection of old favourites, songs you haven’t heard before and some you wish you’d never heard in the first place. The songs are hilarious and topical - the glamour is unstoppable.

Peggy Seeger and Calum MacColl – First Farewell Tour Tue 22 Mar | Justham Family Room & Jane How Room | 7:30PM Making a very welcome visit to Birmingham on her rescheduled ‘First Farewell Tour’, the charismatic Peggy Seeger - singer, songwriter, feminist, icon, Ewan MacColl’s partner and muse - is the undisputed queen of folk and political song.

Housewarming Sessions: Ibou Tall Fri 25 March | Jennifer Blackwell Peformance Space | 5PM

House Classics

As we welcome audiences in to our transformed spaces at Symphony Hall, our Friday Jazz Foyer sessions have been relaunched as the Housewarming Sessions. We will be collaborating with partners across the UK jazz scene to celebrate emerging and established artists for you to enjoy.

Wed 23 March | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM The National Philharmonic Concert Orchestra presents House Classics. The best 90s house tracks are reimagined in this brand new show that pairs the National Philharmonic Concert Orchestra with original, authentic vocalists live on stage.

Ray Mears: We Are Nature Wed 23 March | Town Hall | 7:30PM We need the Wilderness as much as the Wilderness needs us.

Recently we have learnt to value our green spaces more than ever. In this fascinating, inspirational, and educational show, Ray Mears will be demonstrating and explaining techniques that will help us improve our senses and highlight the problems nature faces today.

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK Season 2 Tour Sat 26 March | Symphony Hall | 8PM

Celebrating Sanctuary: Namvula Thu 24 March | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 1PM B:Music are working with Celebrating Sanctuary Birmingham (CSB), a diverse music and arts organisation with a mission to support, promote and develop artists from refugee and migrant backgrounds. Hear World Music artists perform music originating from across the globe including Senegal, Zimbabwe, Guinea Bissau, Haiti and Iran.

Birmingham prepare yourself! Drag Royalty will Ru-Turn in 2022 for the UK’s biggest ever RuPaul tour. Join the queens of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK for an evening of endless eleganza extravaganza. Witness the Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent of your favourite queens LIVE on stage as they sashay into a theatre near you.

Joe Jackson Thu 24 March | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM

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Joe Jackson is launching a new tour with the same band as his last, the successful Four Decade Tour of 2019, and his last album Fool: Graham Maby (Bass, Vocals), Teddy Kumpel (Guitar, Vocals) and Doug Yowell (Drums, Vocals, Electronics). The show will feature both the full band and a ‘mini-set’ of Joe solo.

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Mid-day Mantra Sat 26 March | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 1PM B:Music and Sampad’s Midday Mantra is a free series presenting music originating from India to uplift the spirit on Saturday lunchtimes.

James Morrison Tue 29 March | Symphony Hall | 8PM 2022 will see James Morrison tour the UK for the first time in two-anda-half years when he hits the road with his first ever ‘Greatest Hits’ tour.

Featuring his five unforgettable Top 10 hits (‘You Give Me Something’, ‘Wonderful World’, ‘You Make It Real’, ‘Broken Strings’ and ‘I Won’t Let You Go’) together with a selection of fan favourites, the tour represents a lifeaffirming celebration of a remarkable career that has spanned 15 years.

Giovanni Pernice: This is Me Sat 26 March | Town Hall | 7:30PM Strictly Come Dancing favourite, Giovanni Pernice, returns with his highly anticipated hit show This Is Me! The showman is once again set to light up the stage, along with his cast of professional dancers, for another fabulous year of touring.

Aurora Plus Special Guest Sun 27 March | Town Hall | 7:30PM Aurora has proved herself to be a triple threat; a singer, songwriter and producer, since bursting onto the scene in 2015 with her debut EP, Running With The Wolves. Since then, Aurora has amassed over 20 million monthly listeners on Spotify, racked up a whopping 2.5 billion overall streams and 1 million+ global album sales.

Paul Chowdhry Sun 27 Mar | Symphony Hall | 8PM After barely surviving the pandemic, and with two years of pent-up killer material, Paul tackles the UK’s handling of the pandemic, why the rules of six only worked for white people, fame, England football fans and Tom Cruise landing his helicopter in someone’s garden.

Don’t miss it.

Baker & Harris: Back Stage Pass Tue 29 March | Town Hall | 7:30PM Bob Harris & Danny Baker, two of the nation’s best broadcasters, have witnessing the great names of modern music up close. Make no mistake - rock and soul music really did have a golden age and here’s two storytellers who were there all along the way. It’s a really funny story (in both senses of that phrase too). Bob & Dan. They got beans. And they’re gonna spill ‘em.

Reginald D Hunter Wed 30 March | Town Hall | 8PM Climate change. Mass unemployment.

Lunchtime Organ Concert with Thomas Trotter and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir

Economic pandemics.

The rise of global fascism. So what the f*** could this man POSSIBLY say to upset you? Welcome to the world of the Bombe Shuffleur.

Mon 28 March | Town Hall | 1PM The BCC Choir will be joining Thomas Trotter for a unique performance celebrating the key compositions throughout Paul’s Spicer illustrious career.

Jack Savoretti plus support Mon 28 March | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM Anthony Jack Savoretti returns with a wonderful new album that arrives complete with its own genre, Europiana. Put on your dancing shoes for the funky first single, the disco fuelled ‘Who’s Hurting Who’, featuring Nile Rodgers.

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Magnum Thu 31 March | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM The band, formed in Birmingham in 1972, had notable successes in their early years, including 1982 album ‘Chasing the Dragon’ which spawned live favorites ‘ Soldier of The Line’, ‘Sacred Hour’ and ‘The Spirit’.

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Themba Mvula

Themba Mvula on taking Community Spirit online and playing the role of Jesus in Bach’s St Matthew Passion.

The musical director of Lichfield Gospel Choir reflects on choral music’s successful online transition during lockdown, and looks ahead to a special Good Friday concert with B:Music associate artists Ex Cathedra.

When there’s a will, there’s a way. Unable to rehearse in-person after lockdown hit in March 2020, Themba Mvula and his Lichfield Gospel Choir went online, where regular Zoom sessions became the new norm. “There will be recognition of how much that online period benefitted us as a choir, because people’s confidence and freedom has grown,” the musical director reflects now.

As lockdown continued, Themba shared his choir’s winning digital formula with B:Music and their associate artists Black Voices to help their community choir project, Community Spirit. The project’s subsequent online singing workshops helped counter the pandemic-enforced shutdown of performance spaces, providing a vital and uplifting outlet for singers across the Midlands to remotely come together.

In addition to his recent work supporting Community Spirit, Themba is looking forward to performing as part of Ex Cathedra’s take on JS Bach’s St Matthew Passion at Symphony Hall, a B:Music venue, on Good Friday. We caught up with Themba to find out more about both projects.

You successfully led Lichfield Gospel Choir online in March 2020. How difficult a task was that? “The feedback from the very first rehearsal in lockdown - which was me doing a YouTube livestream - was great, so we quickly ramped up what we were doing to try to make things better for the Lichfield Choir experience. We moved to Zoom, and the choir got me extra gear I needed to make it sound and look better. We moved quite rapidly in that first month, to the point where I was feeling pretty confident that it could work as an idea. The key for me was to pre-record all the parts with the harmonies, so when I was asking people to sing it didn’t feel like they were just singing along to a piano at home. That made it workable and enjoyable.”

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You were then asked to help take Community Spirit online…

“Black Voices’ Carol Pemberton asked if our formula could work for Community Spirit. We did a taster version where we just played a video to see if it would work, and the response to that was great. We then did our first proper session a month later, and that became a model so other choir leaders could come in.”

What positives have you taken from that experience for your ongoing choral work? “Zoom enabled me to get to know the individuals in my choir better. In the normal rehearsals, we’d have 100 people attending: you might have a section singing at a time and the occasional solo, but largely it’s a mass experience. Whereas over Zoom you see everyone in their square, and you get to know voices I wouldn’t necessarily have heard solo before, which was really interesting. It seems to be giving people this new confidence: I’d break a solo down into four parts and get four people to volunteer to do a line after one another, and people were really going for it. I was even encouraging movement, which is really important to what we do. I could see on the Zoom squares people dancing in their living rooms, which was really cool!”

How excited are you about the return of Community Spirit?

“Community Spirit is a mass of singers on stage together, and the energy you get from that has been hard to create during the pandemic. If we can be back at that level where there’s a mass of singers together, that’s a really exciting prospect. We’ve always loved singing at Symphony Hall, it’s always really special. The choir are desperate to get back to that, and it’s especially exciting because it will be linked in with the Commonwealth Games. It’ll be the 10th edition of Community Spirit too, which is full of significance for the event and the project.”

In April, you’ll be performing Bach’s St Matthew Passion with Ex Cathedra at Symphony Hall – and you’re taking on the role of Jesus! “I’m so looking forward to that. Ex Cathedra were instrumental at the start of my career as a soloist. I remember [Ex Cathedra founder] Jeffrey Skidmore coming up to me and saying: ‘I’d love you to do Jesus in the Matthew Passion at Symphony Hall.’ That actually happened in 2013, which was my first major performance as a soloist post-studying, and it was the catalyst for me getting back into a career as a soloist. It feels really special to now be going back and doing the Matthew with Ex Cathedra on Good Friday, because it’s where it all started for me. I lived in Birmingham for 10 years so the city has a special place in my heart, and to be going back to Symphony Hall with Ex Cathedra is massively important to me.”

What can people expect from the St Matthew Passion?

“There’s no correct way to engage with choral and classical music, and I think that’s really important to note. Sometimes the fact that people don’t know how to engage with it, or think that they need to have some background or historical knowledge in order to appreciate it, really puts them off going to see something like this, which is so unfortunate. I love going to see stuff that I don’t know anything about, and letting it speak to me - or not! It’s beautiful music, there’s storytelling and drama, and it’s narrated throughout. There’s a lot to enjoy, as well as great soloists. It’s quite meditative - there’s all sorts of ways to engage with it. You can sit there and engage with every word if you want to, or you can sit at the back and let it wash over you. It’s great music.”

Themba Mvula will perform St Matthew Passion with Ex Cathedra at Symphony Hall on 15th April, 2022. Community Spirit will return to Symphony Hall in July 2022.

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#MusicConnectsUs I Am a Proud Queen

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Photo: @heathersm allmpeople on Instag ram

April

Heather Small performs at Town Hall in April 2022 27

April

Bring Your Own Baby Comedy Tue 5 April | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 12PM Bring Your Own Baby Comedy is the UK’s premier baby-friendly comedy club!

Housewarming Sessions: Delano Mills Fri 1 April | Jennifer Blackwell Peformance Space | 5PM As we welcome audiences in to our transformed spaces at Symphony Hall, our Friday Jazz Foyer sessions have been relaunched as the Housewarming Sessions. We will be collaborating with partners a cross the UK jazz scene to celebrate emerging and established artists for you to enjoy.

10cc – The Ultimate Greatest Hits Tour Tue 5 April | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM 10cc have announced a new UK tour for 2022, where they will celebrate the hits which have seen them recognised as one of the most inventive and influential bands in popular music.

Curtis Stigers Fri 1 April | Town Hall | 7:30PM Curtis Stigers returns with a brand new album, Gentleman (April, 2020), co-produced by Stigers and longtime collaborator, pianist/ organist/composer Larry Goldings, featuring jazz arrangements of modern standards by Nick Lowe, Tom T. Hall, John Fullbright and David Poe, plus four new original songs.

Beatfreeks Thu 7 April | Justham Family Room & Jane How Room | 7PM

China Crisis: Classic Crisis – 40th Anniversary Tour 1982-2022

From poets who are just starting out to seasoned veterans, and everyone else with a story to tell - this non-genre specific open mic night can cover love, to comedy, very personal topics, and much more.

Sat 2 April | Town Hall | 7:30PM Join Liverpool musical royalty China Crisis for this very special tour celebrating their 40th anniversary.

Marc Almond Thu 7 April | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM Marc Almond is delighted to announced his first British live tour in nearly two years, Marc Almond In Concert.

Barbara Dickson in Concert Sun 3 April | Town Hall | 7:30PM Multimillion selling recording artist Barbara Dickson with her accomplished band returns to tour the UK.

Heather Small Fri 8 April | Town Hall | 8PM

Imelda May Mon 4 April | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM Globally revered Irish artist Imelda May has today announced her first major UK tour in over five years in support of her highly anticipated new album ‘11 Past The Hour’.

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Heather Small, born 20th January 1965, grew up on a West London council estate. From going to Sunday school and attending the ‘Good News Club’, religion and faith became an important aspect of Heather’s life. Growing up in 70’s Britain and not wanting to be stereotyped or treated differently, Heather knew that she wanted to make something of herself.

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Housewarming Sessions: Bryan Corbett & Co Fri 8 April | Jennifer Blackwell Peformance Space | 5PM As we welcome audiences in to our transformed spaces at Symphony Hall, our Friday Jazz Foyer sessions have been relaunched as the Housewarming Sessions. We will be collaborating with partners a cross the UK jazz scene to celebrate emerging and established artists for you to enjoy.

Lunchtime Organ Concert Music for Easter Mon 11 April | Town Hall | 1PM History is built into the very walls of Town Hall, Birmingham, and when City Organist Thomas Trotter plays the organ there, that heritage springs vibrantly to life.

Sax in the City with The Notebenders Sat 9 April | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 1:30PM B:Music welcome back the Ladywood-based community big band to Symphony Hall to uplift with their unique mix of jazz and calypso music.

Music on Mondays with Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Mon 11 April | Jennifer Blackwell Peformance Space | 1PM

Nashville Sounds in the Round: The Weekend Sessions Sat 9 April | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 11:30AM

Music on Mondays is a collaborative project between B:Music and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire that offers students from a wide range of departments to perform in the newly-transformed spaces at Symphony Hall, a B:Music venue.

Nashville Style songwriter round where artists are invited to tell the stories behind their songs, taking us back to their origins and transporting the audience right back to the writers rooms. Hosted by multi award-winning duo Gasoline & Matches featuring special guests.

An Evening with Guy Chambers

Nick Lowe Mon 11 April | Town Hall | 7:30PM Somewhere in London a musician carries the keys to the musical kingdom. In his Technicolor sonic scope are all kinds of sounds, from rock to country to soul to pop. The musician is Nick Lowe, the headmaster of British rock.

Beatfreeks Poetry Jam

Sat 9 April | Town Hall | 7:30PM Guy Chambers is one of the UK’s most successful living songwriters.

He is the writer behind songs we know from the radio, from the movies, and from the dance floor.

XXX | XXX | XPM XXX

Jimmy Carr Mon 11 April | Symphony Hall | 8PM

Rhod Gilbert

Jimmy’s brand new show contains jokes about all kinds of terrible things. Terrible things that might have affected you or people you know and love.

Sat 9 April | Symphony Hall | 8PM This show sees Rhod as funny as ever, but like never before. This is Rhod, but different, the same, but not. It’s a show about hitting rock bottom, and just when you think things can’t get any worse, you meet a bloke…a bloke called John.

Gilbert O’Sullivan Tue 12 April | Town Hall | 7:30PM Enjoying one of the most creative and commercially successful periods of an outstanding career, Gilbert O’Sullivan has continued to look to the future while his famous back catalogue has won respect and adoration all over the world.

Asian Spring (Sampad) Sun 10 April | Town Hall | 6PM Sampad South Asian Arts are delighted to present this thrilling celebration of South Asian Dance. Asian Spring promises to be an exceptional evening of inspiration and talent.

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Gretchen Peters with special guest Kim Richey Wed 13 April | Town Hall | 7:30PM Following her two AMA Awards for 2015’s Blackbirds, Gretchen Peters’s 2018 album Dancing With the Beast marked another career high.

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April

Goldfrapp Wed 13 April | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM

ECHO Rising Stars: Lucie Horsch & Thomas Dunford

Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory formed Goldfrapp in 1999.

Together they have released seven albums, most recently ‘Silver Eye’ in 2017, and scored a string of hits including ‘Strict Machine’, ‘Ooh La La’, ‘Lovely Head’ and ‘A&E’.

Tue 12 April | Jennifer Blackwell

Nish Kumar: Control

Performance Space | 5:30PM

Fri 15 April | Town Hall | 7:30PM

This Netherlands-based duo have been described by The Guardian as “the latest big thing in recorder playing.”

It has been a period of upheaval and uncertainty with COVID and the political situation.You will be amazed by my capacity to somehow take all these things personally. Control is a new show from the host of the Mash Report and one of the Guardian’s Top Fifty Comedians of the 21st Century.

Birmingham Classical 2021/22: Good Friday St Matthew Passion Fri 15 April | Symphony Hall | 2PM Bach’s St Matthew Passion is more than one of the greatest of all sacred works; it expresses feelings common to the whole of humanity: love, anger, injustice, sacrifice, betrayal, suffering, remorse, helplessness and shame – communicated in the most sublime and emotionally charged music imaginable.

Birmingham Classical 2021/22: Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra Tue 12 April | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM Jan Latham Koenig conductor Tamsin Waley Cohen soloist Programme: Dora Pejačević Overture for large orchestra in d minor, op.49 Sibelius Violin Concerto Mahler Symphony No 1 In that century and a half, the Orchestra has been the leading promoter of music not only in the city whose name it bears, but throughout Croatia, and has been an ambassador for Croatia throughout the world.

In the last couple of seasons alone, the orchestra has performed at Carnegie Hall in New York, in Argentina, Oman, Kuwait and China as well as Vienna, Salzburg, Lisbon, Budapest, Warsaw, Krakow, Moscow, Leningrad, Rome, Dresden, Zurich and Milan.

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STAND BY FOR ACTION! Gerry Anderson in Concert Sat 16 April | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM Anderson Entertainment presents a unique celebration of the life and TV productions of Gerry Anderson MBE in this world premiere. Featuring special guests, it is the first time this career-spanning collection of music has been performed live in concert.

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Soar into space with this exciting adaptation of the award-winning book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.

bmusic.co.uk Musical Meet-ups – Indigo Marshall Wed 20 April | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 11:30AM B:Music and Midland Mencap are delighted to launch this new and free monthly event for Birmingham’s unpaid family carers. You’re invited to unwind at these relaxed musical performances, whilst enjoying live music from the best talent in Brum.

LIVE ON STAGE

Brum Craic – Showcase Wed 20 April | Jennifer Blackwell Peformance Space | 8PM Join us for B:Music’s comedy night, celebrating the best UK circuitcomedy acts. Our shows feature the UK’s funniest headline comedians and club- comperes. With three sections there’s plenty to enjoy, including new talent!

Strictly 18+

Celebrating Sanctuary: Niwel Tsumbu (Democratic Republic of Congo) Thu 21 April | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 1PM As part of the CSB 20th Anniversay celebrations they will be presenting some amazing World Music artists, as part of the ongoing series of events with B:Music at Symphony Hall. Join us for Lunchtime Concerts every month & a special Takeover event for Refugee Week 2022.

Rebecca Nash: Redefining Element 78 ft. John O’Gallagher Thu 21 April | Justham Family Room & Jane How Room | 8PM Redefining Element 78 presents a compositional voice of increasing clarity and singular warmth. Element 78 is an album of luscious, dense harmonies and wide atmospheric soundscapes.

Corinne Bailey Rae Fri 22 April | Town Hall | 7:30PM From Leeds, England, singer/songwriter/musician Corinne Bailey Rae shot to stardom with her self-titled #1 UK debut album in 2006, featuring the global hits “Put Your Records On“ and “Like A Star”.

Sun 17 – Wed 20 April 2022

TOWN HALL 10:30AM, 12:30PM, 1:30PM & 4:30PM www.smedsandsmooslive.com 34The

Smeds and The Smoos © Julia Donaldson and Alex Scheffler 2019, published by Scholastic

Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets – The Echoes Tour Fri 22 April | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets are - Nick Mason, Gary Kemp, Guy Pratt, Lee Harris and Dom Beken.

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April

The Divine Comedy Mon 25 April | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM Having now completed his third full decade as a recording artist, The Divine Comedy, aka Neil Hannon, today announces the treasure trove that is Charmed Life – The Best Of The Divine Comedy – a collection of his finest moments, out February 4th 2022.

Housewarming Sessions Fri 22 April | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 5PM As we welcome audiences in to our transformed spaces at Symphony Hall, our Friday Jazz Foyer sessions have been relaunched as the Housewarming Sessions. We will be collaborating with partners across the UK jazz scene to celebrate emerging and established artists for you to enjoy.

Midday Mantra Sat 23 April | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 1PM B:Music and Sampad’s Midday Mantra is a free series presenting music originating from India to uplift the spirit on Saturday lunchtimes.

Test Match Special Tue 26 April | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM

Dreamboats & Petticoats

Spend an evening with Test Match Special and cricket legends Phil Tufnell and Jonathan Agnew, as they take you inside the famous TMS commentary box and share memories from their international playing careers.

Sat 23 April | Town Hall | 8PM 1950s heartthrob Marty Wilde takes to the road again in Dreamboats and Petticoats with special guest Eden Kane. Performing their own hits and collaborating live on stage, Marty and Eden the original teen idols, show us how rock n’ roll shaped the style of music that we listened to then and still do today.

Marti Pellow Wed 27 April | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM Former Wet Wet Wet frontman turned hugely successful solo artist and stage performer.

Remembering the Oscars Sun 24 April | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM Fresh from their sell-out tour with their highly entertaining and innovative Remembering The Movies, Aljaz and Janette, will be returning with their brand new show Remembering The Oscars.

Ex Cathedra 2021/22: Calcutta Sun 24 April | Town Hall | 7PM By 1780, the East India Company had transformed Calcutta into a small English city. Musicians travelled from London to India, bringing the music of Corelli and Handel with them. Others played their harpsichords with Indian classical musicians.

Lunchtime Organ Concert Celebrating the Commonwealth Games Mon 25 April | Town Hall | 1PM History is built into the very walls of Town Hall, Birmingham, and when City Organist Thomas Trotter plays the organ there, that heritage springs vibrantly to life.

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Housewarming Sessions Fri 29 April | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 5PM As we welcome audiences in to our transformed spaces at Symphony Hall, our Friday Jazz Foyer sessions have been relaunched as the Housewarming Sessions. We will be collaborating with partners across the UK jazz scene to celebrate emerging and established artists for you to enjoy.

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European Brass Band Festival ‘22 Thu 28 April – Sun 1 May at Town Hall and Symphony Hall, Birmingham

The European Brass Band Championships are coming to the UK and we are thrilled to be hosting all events as part of a wider festival of brass in Birmingham at both B:Music venues, Symphony Hall and Town Hall.

Over four days there will be six events celebrating the best of brass, including a mix of young talent and seasoned performers.

The festival offers a unique chance to hear up to thirty of Europe’s very best brass bands, all in one place, alongside a host of the most renowned brass musicians from our own shores including the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines and Grimethorpe Colliery Band (of Brassed Off fame). A one-off gala concert will feature a ground-breaking musical collaboration between the number one brass band in the world, the Cory Band, and the hugely popular Louis Dowdeswell Big Band.

The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain and The Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines, Collingwood Thu 28 April | Town Hall | 7.30PM

European Composers Competition with Grimethorpe Colliery Band Fri 29 April | Town Hall | 7.30PM

The European Youth Brass Band Competition

The European Brass Band Championship: Set Test-piece

Sat 30 April | Symphony Hall |

Sat 30 April | Symphony Hall

9AM

| 2.30PM

The European Brass Band Championship: Challenge Section and Championship Own Choice Sun 1 May | Symphony Hall | 9AM

EBBF Gala Concert with the Louis Dowdeswell Big Band and the Cory Band Sun 1 May | Symphony Hall | 8PM

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Miloš Miloš’ much-anticipated Town Hall return to be livestreamed for B:Music’s global audience.

The Montenegrin classical guitarist will honour his musical hero and treat his audience to a stirring music programme when he graces the stage at the B:Music venue in May.

Homage to Segovia will also be livestreamed online.

How have you found the experience of livestream performances? “Interestingly, livestreams turn a concert into a very different thing, as they take it out of its essence and core and on to the internet. Psychologically, it’s a very different starting and finishing line [for a musician]. I personally think it’s our role as musicians to connect with our audience in any way possible, we acknowledge what’s going on and we do everything we can to make it work. I’m really excited about this livestream, however. In many ways, livestreams are not much different than a concert being recorded or filmed, so I feel very well-prepared and versed in doing it.”

“I was incredibly impressed by Town Hall, because it is such an amazing space and the acoustics are stunning.

This incredible hall is a godsend for an instrument like the guitar,” Miloš Karadaglić tells us about his memorable last visit to the B:Music venue in 2020. “I remember an incredibly warm atmosphere: I can’t wait to return and re-establish that connection [with the audience] after everything we’ve been through.”

What else are you looking forward to in 2022? “I’ll be returning with a couple of interesting collaborative projects.

I’ve been working with the great Israeli mandolinist Avi Avital: it’s a wonderful feeling of union between our two instruments, and we’ve created a beautiful programme of music. One thing that the pandemic did was remind me, and a lot of my colleagues, of what it is we love doing the most.

For me, I’ve always had a lack of time to collaborate with musicians and people who I admire. During lockdown, I set up It’s fair to say that Miloš is keen to make up for lost time. As live a couple of beautiful collaborations that I really want to take music returned in 2021 the renowned classical guitarist was off at concerts in the coming months. One is with Avital, and finally able to reconnect with his audiences in-person, and he’s another is with one of my best friends, the accordionist Ksenija especially relishing his return to Town Hall, a B:Music venue, Sidorova. It’s incredibly rewarding to share the stage with in May. The concert will see Miloš pay tribute to the Spanish other musicians.” classical guitarist Andrés Segovia with a programme which, Miloš tells us, will feature “some of the most important pieces” It’s been over six years since the release of your acclaimed in Segovia’s repertoire, as well as pieces “that I personally feel ‘Blackbird: The Beatles Album’. How do you look back on a strong connection with”. that experience of covering The Beatles? “That project was Miloš spoke to us to further preview his upcoming Town Hall concert – which will also be livestreamed online – ahead of his much-anticipated return to Birmingham in May. How much did you miss live performance during lockdown?

“Feeling a connection with an audience after so long has been incredibly rewarding. I’m very lucky that I’ve remained healthy and well through this time, and that I was able to use lockdown as an opportunity to grow both as a person and artistically.

When the time came to go back on stage after many months, it was amazing. Everybody was missing the experience of live performance, being in front of a performer and with them on their journey. It’s one of those unique things in life.”

What can your audience at Town Hall and at home expect from Homage to Segovia? “This programme is in tribute to one of my heroes, Andrés Segovia. He was a true pioneer of the instrument, and we guitarists of today owe him a lot because he put us on the map. This programme is a collection of some of the most important pieces in his repertoire, but also pieces that I personally feel a strong connection with.

At the end of the programme, I will be premiering a new piece by the French composer Mathias Duplessy that is also an homage to Segovia. I think it’s a collision of different worlds.

I’m really excited to be performing this piece to the audience in Birmingham.”

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incredibly satisfying. It brought me to so many places, and opened me up to a very different audience. It was the right sort of challenge, because it was a repertoire I knew nothing about and I had to learn. After many months of hard work, we came up with this incredible collection of pieces and arrangements, and when it was released, people loved it.

I’ve played it numerous times on tours and programmes since, and it’s been amazing to see the response not just in the UK, but almost everywhere else. The last time I performed it was back in September at Cadogan Hall in London during one of my biggest concerts post-lockdown. It was absolutely amazing, and I was reminded how brilliant it was to play The Beatles. But right now, I’m focused on more core and very classical repertoire.”

Miloš will perform ‘Homage to Segovia’ at Town Hall on 28 May 2022. The concert will be livestreamed on the B:Music website, with tickets available now.

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#MusicConnectsUs Choose Love

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Photo: @jessieware on Instagram

May

Jessie Ware visits Town Hall in May 2022 43

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Ex Cathedra 2021/22: Unending love – The Traveller Sat 1 May | Town Hall | 4PM Ex Cathedra’s exploration of the shared ground between Indian classical and choral music culminates with The Traveller – texts curated

by Vikram Seth and glorious music by Alec Roth – and two extraordinary works by Roxanna Panufnik.

Joe Satriani Fri 6 May | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM World-renowned guitar virtuoso, Joe Satriani returns to Birmingham in support of his 17th solo album.

Spiritualized Mon 2 May | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM While some people imploded in the lockdowns and isolation of the epidemic, others were thriving. “I felt like I’d been in training for this my whole life” said J Spaceman.

Beatfreeks Poetry Jam Fri 6 May | Justham Family Room & Jane How Room | 7PM

John Shuttleworth

From poets who are just starting out to seasoned veterans, and everyone else with a story to tell - this non-genre specific open mic night can cover love, to comedy, very personal topics, and much more.

Wed 4 May | Town Hall | 7:30PM John’s bad back is much better now, thank you, so he can safely punch the air once more as he performs all the faves from his pre-lockdown tour including classics like ‘Y Reg’, ‘I Can’t Go Back To Savoury’ and ‘Pigeons in Flight’.

Housewarming Sessions Fri 6 May | Jennifer Blackwell Peformance Space | 5PM As we welcome audiences in to our transformed spaces at Symphony Hall, our Friday Jazz Foyer sessions have been relaunched as the Housewarming Sessions. We will be collaborating with partners across the UK jazz scene to celebrate emerging and established artists for you to enjoy.

Trixie Mattel Thu 5 May | Symphony Hall | 8PM Trixie Mattel is not only a major pop culture figure but a stand up comedian and musician with talents that defy classification.

Maithili Thakur Live in Concert Sat 7 May | Town Hall | 1:30PM

Table Manners with Jessie & Lennie Ware

Maithili Thakur is one of the most exciting discoveries of recent times.

Her meteoric rise as a singing sensation is fast becoming the most talked about musical story of India.

Thu 5 May | Town Hall | 7:30PM The award winning no. 1 smash hit podcast Table Manners is coming to Birmingham!

Sax In The City with The Notebenders Sat 7 May | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 1:30PM Music welcome back the Ladywood-based community big band to Symphony Hall to uplift with their unique mix of jazz and calypso music.

Beth Nielsen Chapman – All Around The World Tour Fri 6 May | Town Hall | 8PM If you are going to a Beth Nielsen Chapman concert get ready to laugh and cry and, well, just fasten your seat belt. One thing you can count on is one great song after another and some fascinating stories woven between them.

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Rumer Sun 8 May | Town Hall | 7:30PM Award-Winning British Vocalist Rumer returns with a national tour in support of her fantastic new album Nashville Tears.

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May

Housewarming Sessions Fri 13 May | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 5PM As we welcome audiences in to our transformed spaces at Symphony Hall, our Friday Jazz Foyer sessions have been relaunched as the Housewarming Sessions. We will be collaborating with partners across the UK jazz scene to celebrate emerging and established artists for you to enjoy.

Strictly Come Dancing: The Professionals Tour Sun 8 May | Symphony Hall | 2:30PM & 7:30PM Strictly Come Dancing: The Professionals tour will return in 2022.

Directed by Strictly’s Creative Director of Choreography Jason Gilkison, the show will feature a stunning line-up of pro dancers ready to race back to the dancefloor.

The Music of Zimmer vs Williams Sat 14 May | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM Performed by a full symphony orchestra, an epic concert celebrating the very best scores from the two greatest film music composers of all time: John Williams and Hans Zimmer.

Lunchtime Organ Concert Mon 9 May | Town Hall | 1PM History is built into the very walls of Town Hall, Birmingham, and when City Organist Thomas Trotter plays the organ there, that heritage springs vibrantly to life.

HYPROV: Improv Under Hypnosis Sun 15 May | Town Hall | 8PM Hypnosis and Improv — two art forms that have mystified and entertained fans, skeptics and everyone in between for decades worldwide – come together as two masters of their crafts unite for a totally unique comedy experience, HYPROV: Improv Under Hypnosis.

Music on Mondays with Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Mon 9 May | Jennifer Blackwell Peformance Space | 1PM Music on Mondays is a collaborative project between B:Music and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire that offers students from a wide range of departments to perform in the newly-transformed spaces at Symphony Hall, a B:Music venue.

Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox Mon 9 May | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM To usher in the upcoming Twenty-Twenties, famed time-twisting musical collective Postmodern Jukebox will circumnavigate the U.K in 2022 on their Welcome to the Twenties 2.0 Tour.

Travis Sun 15 May | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM Following its first play on the Zoe Ball Breakfast show this morning, Travis have unveiled the Fran Healydirected video to their stellar new single ‘The Only Thing’ featuring Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles.

Nashville Sounds in the Round Tue 10 May | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 8PM Nashville Style songwriter round where artists are invited to tell the stories behind their songs, taking us back to their origins and transporting the audience right back to the writers rooms. Hosted by multi award-winning duo Gasoline & Matches featuring special guests.

Kae Tempest Tue 10 May | Town Hall | 7:30PM Kae Tempest has firmly established themselves as one of the most unique, thought-provoking and critically-acclaimed voices of their generation.

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The Shires Tue 17 May | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM The UK’s best-selling country act The Shires released a taster single ‘New Year’ from their eagerly awaited forthcoming album ‘Good Years’.

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Musical Meet Ups – Sohan Kailey Wed 18 May | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 11:30AM Sohan Kailey is a Performing Artist, Children’s & Family Entertainer, Children’s Presenter, Dance Practitioner, Bhangra Fusion Dancer, Actor and Voice-Over Artist.

Paul Merton – Impro Chums Fri 20 May | Town Hall | 8PM Paul Merton, Richard Vranch, Suki Webster, Mike McShane and accompanist Kirsty Newton are back with another evening of mind-blowing improvisation. The collective improvisational experience embodied in the Chums is a joy to behold. They flex their improvisational muscles to delight and entertain audiences.

The Robert Cray Band Wed 18 May | Town Hall | 7:30PM Legendary guitarist and singer-songwriter Robert Cray returns to the UK ito support the release of his new album, ‘That’s What I Heard’, celebrating the music of Curtis Mayfield, Bobby “Blue” Bland, The Sensational Nightingales and more, alongside four newly written songs.

Housewarming Sessions Fri 20 May | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 5PM As we welcome audiences in to our transformed spaces at Symphony Hall, our Friday Jazz Foyer sessions have been relaunched as the Housewarming Sessions. We will be collaborating with partners across the UK jazz scene to celebrate emerging and established artists for you to enjoy.

John Barrowman Wed 18 May | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM John Barrowman is an Entertainer with a capital E. He sings, he dances, he acts, he presents, he judges - he is a unique talent in the British entertainment industry.

Dirty Dancing In Concert Fri 20 May | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM Enjoy the film like never before on a full-size cinema screen, with a live band and singers performing iconic songs. Directly following the film, they’ll be an encore party that will surely take you back to the time of your life!

Celebrating Sanctuary: Nifeco Costa (Guinea Bissau) Thu 19 May | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 1PM As part of the CSB 20th Anniversary celebrations they will be presenting some amazing World Music artists, as part of the ongoing series of events with B:Music at Symphony Hall. Join us for Lunchtime Concerts every month and a special Takeover event for Refugee Week 2022.

Sandi Toksvig – The National Trevor Tour Thu 19 May | Symphony Hall |

Todrick Hall Sat 21 May | Town Hall | 7:30PM Todrick Hall has become an inspirational, larger-than-life character, simply by embracing everything he wants to be to become everything he can be.

7:30PM Following the sell-out 2019 tour of National Trevor, the comedian, broadcaster, writer, campaigner and all-round good egg, returns to over 35 UK theatres with her brand-new show, Next Slide Please...

Omid Djalili

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Sat 21 May | Symphony Hall | 8PM After experimenting with a Zoom gig where he got muted by 639 people and a Drive-in gig where Omid witnessed an audience member get out his car, attach a hose pipe to his exhaust and feed it through the window; multi award-winning comedian and actor Omid Djalili is now where he belongs, on a stage and bringing back the Good Times.

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May Tony Christie: Avenues & Alleyways – The Greatest Hits Tour Sun 22 May | Town Hall | 7:30PM Tony Christie is a legendary English singer and International hit maker.

He has recorded million selling albums and singles, performed in the world’s best-known arenas & major festivals including Glastonbury and has found fame all around the world in a career that spans five decades.

An Evening with The Hollies – 60th Anniversary Tour 2022 Sun 22 May | Symphony Hall | 7:45PM One of the most iconic bands in British music, The Hollies, have moved their UK tour, originally scheduled for Autumn 2021, to next year in order to celebrate their 60th anniversary.

Lunchtime Organ Concert Mon 23 May | Town Hall | 1PM History is built into the very walls of Town Hall, Birmingham, and when City Organist Thomas Trotter plays the organ there, that heritage springs vibrantly to life.

The Unthanks Fri 27 May | Town Hall | 7:30PM The Unthanks return to live touring after two years off the road, with the rich and colourful sound of their eleven-piece ensemble, showcasing forthcoming new album, Sorrows Away,

Housewarming Sessions Fri 27 May | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 5PM As we welcome audiences in to our transformed spaces at Symphony Hall, our Friday Jazz Foyer sessions have been relaunched as the Housewarming Sessions. We will be collaborating with partners across the UK jazz scene to celebrate emerging and established artists for you to enjoy.

Midday Mantra Sat 28 May | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 1PM B:Music and Sampad’s Midday Mantra is a free series presenting music originating from India to uplift the spirit on Saturday lunchtimes.

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Bianca Del Rio Sat 28 May | Symphony Hall | 8PM Winner of season six of RuPaul’s Drag Race this dimple-cheeked, larger-than-life drag queen and outrageous comic isn’t afraid to shock and offend.

An Evening with Simon and Oscar from Ocean Colour Scene Sun 29 May | Town Hall | 7:30PM Simon and Oscar are continuing the theme in 2022 with a tour of intimate seated venues, the perfect stages for their acoustic performances of all the big hits and anthems, including The Riverboat Song, The Circle, Traveller’s Tune, Hundred Mile High City and The Day We Caught The Train.

Dionne Warwick Tue 31 May | Symphony Hall | 8PM Legendary six-time Grammy Awardwinning recording artist Dionne Warwick has announced today that her new UK & European concert dates, ‘One Last Time’ will form part of her Farewell Tour in September and October 2020.

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National Open Youth Orchestra Don’t miss the Birmingham debut of the pioneering National Open Youth Orchestra.

B:Music is a proud partner of the National Open Youth Orchestra (NOYO). Lovers of contemporary classical music will discover a captivating musical universe where the familiar merges with the unknown.

Over twenty young disabled and non-disabled musicians from around the country will take to the stage, playing exciting new music inspired by the diversity of the orchestra. National Open Youth Orchestra commissions have been written for a wide range of instruments, both traditional and electronic, including the Clarion, which can be played with almost any physical gesture.

Many of the pieces are ‘modular’ - adaptable for any number of musicians on a wide variety of instruments, evolving through different versions for each ensemble.

“I like the word influential to describe NOYO. A lot of the music we play, you wouldn’t really get that in a stereotypical classical music concert. It brings a different kind of element of programming.” Holli, NOYO harpist Creating exciting new music is central to the National Open Youth Orchestra’s work.

This afternoon, the orchestra will present a beautiful new work, ‘What Fear We Then?’ by Alexander Campkin, cocommissioned with Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

Of his collaboration with the National Open Youth Orchestra, Alexander Campkin says “It took me on a journey of discovery - a journey of questioning myself and my own background.

I’ve used my own personal journey to depict the story of this piece. I started playing the viola when I was a child, but then when I was 17, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Suddenly I was told, no, you can’t play anymore because you have this disability.

be possible. It’s so inspiring seeing NOYO work around any barriers that musicians might have to be able to realise their artistic visions.”

Marrying the familiar and the unknown, the afternoon’s music will be a joyful celebration of diversity as a creative force that can push the boundaries of classical and contemporary music in exciting new directions.

Alongside traditional instruments, audiences will discover the sounds of the LinnStrument, Seaboard rise and Clarion.

Launched in 2018, NOYO promotes a more inclusive youth orchestra where talented 11-25 year old disabled and nondisabled musicians rehearse and perform together. Musicians rehearse in Birmingham in partnership with B:Music, Midlands Arts Centre and Services For Education. There are three other NOYO Centres in London, Bristol and Bournemouth, in partnership with the Barbican, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, Bristol Beacon and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.

The National Open Youth Orchestra makes its Birmingham debut at Town Hall, a B:Music venue on Sunday 5 June 2022.

Relaxed performance Programme What Fear We Then? - Alexander Campkin Day One - Liam Taylor-West Variations on an African Air - Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (new arr.)

Sleeping Rainbows - Harold Arlen / Traditional (mash-up) Comptine d’un autre été, l’après-midi - Yann Tiersen (new arr.)

Spring (decomposed) - Antonio Vivaldi (new arr.)

Time - Hans Zimmer (new arr.)

Barriers - Oliver Cross

I didn’t tell anyone I’d been diagnosed with MS. It was a secret that put an extra barrier. I was hiding for almost 20 years. And it was only a couple of years ago that I was open and suddenly the world felt a bit easier.”

“This process [of writing the piece] began with me attending rehearsals in NOYO’s three Centres in Bournemouth, Bristol and in London, to get to meet the players and them showing me their talents - what they could play on their instruments, some of which I’d never come across before, for instance the Clarion. I then wrote some sketches. We tried them out.

There are so many things that we can do to level the playing field, to really give people the opportunity to perform music where perhaps traditional acoustic instruments wouldn’t 54

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Photo: @sharonva nhalen on Instagram

June

#MusicConnectsUs Women empowering Women

Lea Salonga performs at Symphony Hall in June 2022 57

NOW AVAILABLE AT B:MUSIC VENUES

June Rumours of Fleetwood Mac Wed 1 Jun | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM Channelling the spirit of Fleetwood Mac at their very best, Rumours of Fleetwood Mac offers a unique opportunity for fans, both old and new, to rediscover the songs and performances that have guaranteed Fleetwood Mac’s place as one of the most loved groups of all time.

Beatfreeks Poetry Jam Thu 2 June | Justham Family Room & Jane How Room | 7PM From poets who are just starting out to seasoned veterans, and everyone else with a story to tell - this non-genre specific open mic night can cover love, to comedy, very personal topics, and much more.

Housewarming Sessions Fri 3 June | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 5PM As we welcome audiences in to our transformed spaces at Symphony Hall, our Friday Jazz Foyer sessions have been relaunched as the Housewarming Sessions. We will be collaborating with partners across the UK jazz scene to celebrate emerging and established artists for you to enjoy.

Sax In The City with The Notebenders Sat 4 Jun | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 1:30PM B:Music welcome back the Ladywood-based community big band to Symphony Hall to uplift with their unique mix of jazz and calypso music.

Gospel Revisited Sat 4 June | Town Hall | 7:30PM Gospel Revisited Project celebrates the impact and influence of Women In Gospel, revisiting the works of pioneering lyricists and composers.

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June

ECHO Rising Stars: Johan Dalene Thu 9 Jun | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 5:30PM

NOYO Concert

21-year-old violinist, Johan Dalene, is already making an impact on the international scene, performing with leading orchestras both at home in Sweden and abroad.

Sun 5 Jun | Town Hall | 3PM Launched in 2018, NOYO promotes a more inclusive youth orchestra where talented 11-25 year old disabled and non-disabled musicians rehearse and perform together.

Marrying the familiar and the unknown, the NOYO music will be a joyful celebration of diversity as a creative force that can push the boundaries of classical and contemporary music in exciting new directions.

Lunchtime Organ Concert with Thomas Trotter: By Royal Appointment Mon 6 June | Town Hall | 1PM History is built into the very walls of Town Hall, Birmingham, and when City Organist Thomas Trotter plays the organ there, that heritage springs vibrantly to life.

Birmingham Classical 2021/22: Concerto Budapest Symphony Orchestra Thu 9 Jun | Symphony Hall |

Jeff Beck

7:30PM

Mon 6 Jun | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM Having cultivated one of the most influential careers in rock history, Jeff Beck is universally acknowledged as one of the most talented and significant guitarists in the world, and has played alongside some of the greatest artists of rock, blues and jazz.

Bring Your Own Baby Comedy Tue 7 Jun | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 12PM Bring Your Own Baby Comedy is the UK’s premier baby-friendly comedy club!

Andras Keller conductor | Angela Hewitt piano Programme: Bartok Concerto for Orchestra Mozart Piano Concerto No. 23 Beethoven Symphony No. 5 Angela Hewitt is one of those rare pianists who makes you feel as if she’s playing for you personally – combining profound musicality with effortless communicative warmth – and with its glowing, sun-suffused mood, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major is a perfect piece to while away a June evening to.

Musical Meet Ups: Keys For Life – A Carer’s Week Special Wed 8 June | Jennifer Blackwell Peformance Space | 11AM

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Throughout the year, a group of carers from the Midland Mencap community have come together to share their experiences, poetry and writing. As part of the monthly sessions, they have worked to create musical interpretations which will be shared during this Musical Meet Up.

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Jimmy Webb Wed 8 Jun | Town Hall | 7:45PM Jimmy Webb is an American songwriter, composer and singer known worldwide as a master of his trade.

Music on Mondays with Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Mon 13 Jun | Jennifer Blackwell Peformance Space | 1PM To celebrate the end of the first season of Music on Mondays, in partnership with the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, the B:Music prizewinners will be sharing their winning performance alongside other compositions of their choice.

Housewarming Sessions Fri 10 Jun | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 5PM As we welcome audiences in to our transformed spaces at Symphony Hall, our Friday Jazz Foyer sessions have been relaunched as the Housewarming Sessions. We will be collaborating with partners across the UK jazz scene to celebrate emerging and established artists for you to enjoy.

Elvis Costello & the Impostors Mon 13 Jun | Symphony Hall | 7.30PM

The High Kings

Following the announcement of the new album ‘The Boy Named If’, Elvis Costello will return to the UK in June 2022 with The Imposters (Steve Nieve - keyboards; Pete Thomas - drums; Davey Faragher bass & backing vocals) along with Charlie Sexton for an extensive UK run of dates.

Fri 10 Jun | Town Hall | 7:30PM The High Kings, the true heirs of Ireland’s Folk Heritage, are delighted to announce new UK dates for June 2022.

2020 Keep Fit Association National Festival: The Magic of Dance Sat 11 Jun | Symphony Hall | 2PM The KFA National Festival returns to the iconic Symphony Hall Birmingham bringing together teams from the nine UK regions of our association to proudly present our National Festival of Dance.

Brum Craic Showcase Tue 14 Jun | Jennifer Blackwell Peformance Space | 8PM

With a smile and a song: Music of Life Celebration Concert 2020

Brum Craic is back! Join us for B:Music’s comedy night, celebrating the best circuit-comedy acts from all over the UK.

Mon 13 Jun | Town Hall | 6PM

Nashville Sounds in the Round

Music of Life, a charity that supports children with physical and learning disabilities through regular engagement in high-quality musical activities, presents its three special needs school choirs, SFE Music Service Ensemble, inspiring soprano Denise Leigh and sparkling female vocalists, Papagena

Thu 16 Jun | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 8PM Nashville Style songwriter round where artists are invited to tell the stories behind their songs, taking us back to their origins and transporting the audience right back to the writers rooms. Hosted by multi award-winning duo Gasoline & Matches featuring special guests.

Macy Gray

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Thu 16 Jun | Town Hall | 7:30PM Born and raised in Canton, Ohio, Macy Gray – real name Natalie Renée McIntyre – moved to Southern California in the ‘80s to attend university. She studied scriptwriting and was even in film classes with Ally Sheedy and Rob Lowe.

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June

Lunchtime Organ Concert: Summer Requests Mon 20 Jun | Town Hall | 1PM

Help! I Sexted My Boss Podcast Live

History is built into the very walls of Town Hall, Birmingham, and when City Organist Thomas Trotter plays the organ there, that heritage springs vibrantly to life.

Fri 17 Jun | Town Hall | 7:30PM William Hanson is the UK’s leading etiquette expert, regularly appearing across TV, radio and in print. He’s best known for his scathing reviews of poor etiquette on ITV’s This Morning.

ABC Mon 20 Jun | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM Martin Fry’s masterpiece ‘The Lexicon Of Love’ went straight to number one upon release. Fusing dance floor finesse with a post-punk attitude, the album spawned timeless tracks such ‘Poison Arrow’, ‘The Look Of Love’ ‘Tears Are Not Enough’, and ‘All Of My Heart’.

Refugee Week: Celebrating Sanctuary Takeover Sat 18 Jun | Jennifer Blackwell

Jeff Garlin

Performance Space | 2PM

Tue 21 Jun | Town Hall | 8PM

Join us to celebrate the start of Refugee Week 2022 with a musical extravaganza in partnership with B:Music and CBS. Presenting a line up of local, national and international artists representing music and cultures from different parts of the globe. This will be a large scale event featuring top acts from around the world.

Jeff Garlin’s talent encompasses writing, producing, directing, acting, and performing stand-up comedy.

Lea Salonga Thu 23 Jun | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM The Philippine-born award-winning actress and singer is not only a hugely successful stage actress and multi-Platinum-selling recording artist, she was also the singing voices of two Disney princesses: Mulan, from the film of the same name, and Jasmine in Aladdin.

Toyah & Hazel O’Connor – The Electric Ladies of the 80s Tour Fri 24 Jun | Town Hall | 7.30PM

Gladys Knight Sun 19 Jun | Symphony Hall | 7:30PM

Post Punk and New Wave artists Toyah and Hazel O’Connor join forces to bring you their exciting new tour, “Electric Ladies of the 80s”.

One of music’s greatest icons is returning to Birmingham!

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Housewarming Sessions Fri 24 Jun | Jennifer Blackwell Peformance Space | 5PM As we welcome audiences in to our transformed spaces at Symphony Hall, our Friday Jazz Foyer sessions have been relaunched as the Housewarming Sessions. We will be collaborating with partners across the UK jazz scene to celebrate emerging and established artists for you to enjoy.

YES – The Album Series Tour Fri 24 Jun | Symphony Hall | 8PM YES, one of the most innovative of all prog-rock bands, and true legends of the genre, have announced a 8-date UK tour.

Midday Mantra Sat 25 Jun | Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space | 1PM B:Music and Sampad’s Midday Mantra is a free series presenting music originating from India to uplift the spirit on Saturday lunchtimes.

George Benson in Concert Tue 28 Jun | Symphony Hall | 7.30PM The live shows will feature George Benson’s masterful guitar playing, and Benson and his band will perform his Greatest Hits from his impressive back catalogue.

Generation Ladywood Wed 29 June | Symphony Hall | 1PM Ladywood is the district where both B:Music venues, Symphony Hall and Town Hall are located. Research conducted by the End Child Poverty campaign group found that 54% of children were living in poverty in Ladywood in 2019-20, one of the highest child poverty rates in the UK. B:Music launched Generation Ladywood in September 2012, enhancing learning opportunities provided by Services for Education Music Services.

This long-term project connects Ladywood residents to music by:  · Enabling school children to learn how to play music with professional jazz musicians;  · Pop-up performances in school playgrounds;  · Musical Picnics on-site and in Children’s Centres;  · Supporting people – often in challenging circumstances – to attend concerts.

We believe that music is essential to everyone and has the power to transform and change lives, to entertain and uplift, to create shared experiences and to educate.

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Community Spirit 2022

“The most talented family in the world!”

- Simon Cowell

Symphony Hall Sun 10 July | 3PM 2022 marks the 10 Year Anniversary of Community Spirit: an annual project run by B:Music in partnership with our Associate Artists, Black Voices. Join us at Symphony Hall, a B:Music venue for this rousing large-scale concert where hundreds of choral voices sing together as one. Plus, be one of the first to hear a brand-new commission for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

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Sheku & Isata Kanneh-Mason Sun 10 July | Symphony Hall | 8PM Few instrumentalists have built such a formidable reputation more quickly than the Kanneh-Masons, each with a classical chart-topper under their belt and still in their early twenties. Don’t miss this recital by the brilliant brother-and-sister duo.

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City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra Resident Orchestra at Symphony Hall, A B:Music Venue

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CBSO Highlights...

APRIL Daring drama: Mahler’s Fifth Symphony A trumpet sounds, and the orchestra unleashes Hell! To call Mahler’s Fifth Symphony dramatic is a bit of an understatement, but there’s joy as well as tragedy in this epic musical adventure. Conductor Christoph Koenig was an instant hit on his first appearance with the Orchestra in 2019; now he’s joined by pianist Paul Lewis for Mozart’s exquisite final piano concerto.

From March through to June this year, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra’s 2022 Season is packed with star soloists and conductors, and features some of the greatest orchestral music of all time – from spine-tingling symphonies and concertos, to stunning choral masterpieces.

In their Friday night series, the Orchestra is joined by Strictly Come Dancing’s very own Tommy Blaize for a night of fabulous soul music, and they celebrate the music of Rodgers and Hammerstein in a glorious night of showtunes with an all-star cast of top West-End performers.

Top pick for...

MARCH

MAY Melodic masterpieces: Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony Felix Mendelssohn always enjoyed visiting Birmingham, but he adored Scotland too, and his Third Symphony conjures up wild landscapes, skirling pipes and Highland reels - in short, the kind of music that Kazuki Yamada simply loves to conduct. With Prokofiev’s firecracker of a first symphony for starters, and the superb Daishin Kashimoto as soloist in the world’s favourite violin concerto, this music is simply glorious.

From the serene to the spectacular: Tchaikovsky & Stravinsky

JUNE

In her final Season as Music Director, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla certainly hasn’t held back with her choice of starstudded and dramatic programmes.

In this performance, Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet sits alongside his Fourth Symphony – two pieces filled with torment and triumph, heartbreak and joy, told through unforgettable melodies you’ll know and love. In between, the incredible violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja will have you on the edge of your seat with a deeply passionate performance of Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto.

Handel’s Messiah isn’t so much an oratorio as a national institution - hands up if you’ve ever heard the Hallelujah chorus? Yet, even though Messiah was a favourite at the great Birmingham Triennial Festivals, the CBSO Chorus has never sung it.

We’re putting that right this Season, and under the baton of Baroque specialist Richard Egarr, Handel’s timeless inspiration will burn brighter than ever.

A timeless classic: Handel’s Messiah

You can see the full listings CBSO’s March – June concerts on the next page, along with details of how to book tickets.

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CBSO Concerts at Symphony Hall March – June ‘22 Tchaikovsky & Stravinsky Wed 2 March | 2.15PM & Thur 3 March | 7.30PM Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla – Conductor Patricia Kopatchinskaja - Violin PROGRAMME Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet Stravinsky Violin Concerto Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4

Grieg & Sibelius Wed 9 March | 2.15PM Michael Seal – Conductor Clare Hammond - Piano PROGRAMME Nielsen Helios Overture Grieg Piano Concerto Sibelius Symphony No.1

CBSO Youth Ambassadors: Triptych Sat 12 March 2022, 7.00PM

Sheku Kanneh-Mason plays Shostakovich Wed 16 March | 7.30PM

Thur 28 April | 7.30PM Ludovic Morlot – Conductor Mahan Esfahani – Harpsichord PROGRAMME Ravel Le tombeau de Couperin, 17′ Sørensen Sei anime, 20′ (CBSO Centenary Commission - UK premiere) CPE Bach Harpsichord Concerto in D Major, 21′ Stravinsky Pulcinella Suite, 20′

Opera Gala Fri 29 April | 7.30PM Matthew Kofi Waldren – Conductor Nadine Benjamin – Soprano Heather Lowe – Mezzo Soprano Thomas Atkins – Tenor Nicholas Lester – Bass CBSO Chorus

PROGRAMME Weinberg Symphony No. 4 Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 2 Weinberg Symphony No. 3

PROGRAMME Prokofiev Symphony No. 1 (Classical), 14′ Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1, 23′ Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3 (Scottish), 39′

Mahler’s Fifth Symphony

Gabriela Montero: Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto

PROGRAMME Mozart Piano Concerto No. 27 K.595, 32′ Mahler Symphony No. 5, 72′

Fri 27 May | 7.30PM

Wed 15 June | 7.30PM & Thur 16 June | 2.15PM

Guy Barker – Conductor Vanessa Haynes, Tommy Blaize – Vocalists PROGRAMME Featuring the music of Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Etta James, Ray Charles, James Brown, Donny Hathaway and more.

Ludovic Morlot – Conductor Patricia Kopatchinskaja – Violin

Handel’s Messiah Wed 8 June | 7.00PM Richard Egarr – Conductor Mary Bevan – Soprano Reginald Mobley – Counter Tenor James Gilchrist – Tenor Christopher Purves – Baritone CBSO Chorus PROGRAMME Handel Messiah, 140′

Rodgers & Hammerstein: Some Enchanted Evening Fri 10 June | 7.30PM Martin Yates – Conductor Scott Davies, Gina Beck and Alice Fearn – Vocalists

PROGRAMME Thorvaldsdottir Catamorphosis (CBSO Centenary Commission: UK Premiere) Britten Gloriana: Symphonic Suite Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1 Britten Four Sea Interludes

Season Finale: Mahler’s Resurrection Wed 22 June | 7.30PM & Sat 25 June | 7.00PM Markus Stenz – Conductor Janai Brugger – Soprano Karen Cargill – Mezzo Soprano CBSO Chorus, Youth Chorus and Children’s Chorus PROGRAMME A & R Panufnik Five Polish Folk Songs (CBSO Centenary Commission: World Premiere) Mahler Symphony No. 2 (Resurrection) Tickets can be booked online, or through the B:Music Box Office in person or over the phone. For more information about these performances visit cbso.co.uk.

PROGRAMME Including music from Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, The Sound of Music, State Fair and more!

Kazuki Yamada: Mendelssohn’s Scottish Symphony Wed 4 May 2022 | 2.15PM Kazuki Yamada – Conductor Daishin Kashimoto – Violin

Christoph Koenig – Conductor Paul Lewis – Piano

Patricia Kopatchinskaja: Shostakovich

PROGRAMME Including music from Carmen, La Traviata, Don Giovanni, The Barber of Seville, Madame Butterfly, La bohème, Rigoletto and more!

Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla – Conductor Sheku Kanneh-Mason – Cello

Thur 21 April | 2.15PM & Sat 23 April | 7.00PM

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Mahan Esfahani - A Journey Through Time

History of Soul

Wed 11 May | 7.30PM & Thur 12 May | 2.15PM Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla – Conductor Gabriela Montero – Piano PROGRAMME Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1, 33′ Bruckner Symphony No. 6, 54′ (Wednesday Only) Brahms Symphony No. 3, 37′ (Thursday Only)

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A long farewell to Mirga...

When you hear the opening of Mahler’s Resurrection symphony, you know that you’re going on a journey. That sudden, fierce shimmer in the air, the thunder of the cellos and basses: you’re pulled straight in.

In other words, it could have been written for Patricia Kopatchinskaja, and with Mirga conducting it should be an absolute riot. Place your bets now on what she does for an encore, but we already know what Mirga is conducting after the interval. It’s Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony, the one that In a great performance, you barely stop for breath – carried begins with a bloodcurdling fanfare and ends with the mother onwards in one mighty sweep, until suddenly (and before of all vodka-fuelled Cossack shindigs. It’s also the symphony you’ve realised it) the choir is on its feet and the air is starting that she conducted in her very first concert in charge of to ring with music whose message of remembrance and the CBSO – that glorious night at the Royal Albert Hall, back renewal becomes even more poignant when you know that it’ll in August 2016. “If ever there was a Prom to put London’s be the very last thing you hear. classical crowd in their place, to remind us that the city isn’t the be-all and end-all of concert-going, then this was it” wrote Yes, there’s definitely a reason why Mahler’s Second The Arts Desk. “See you in Birmingham!” yelled Mirga from Symphony has become such a special work for the CBSO and the podium. its Chorus. Perhaps you’re old enough to remember when Sir Simon Rattle gave his final performance as Music Director Six years of surprises in 1998 – or how this symphony christened the brand-new Symphony Hall in 1991. Now Mirga has decided to close her And they certainly did. Over the last six years – and even own chapter of the CBSO’s history with the Resurrection allowing for the wrecking-ball of Covid – Mirga’s concerts symphony – and you can be certain that she knows this with the CBSO have repeatedly reset the agenda for orchestral orchestra, this audience and this city well enough to know music in the UK. Performances of Idomeneo and Pelléas et exactly what she’s doing.

Mélisande; Ciurlionis’ The Sea, complete with live paintings by Norman Perryman; a commuter-startling appearance on the You can be sure, too, that it won’t be over till it’s over. Mirga’s concourse of the brand-new Birmingham New Street station. never done anything by halves, and if (like Andris Nelsons And in 2018, quite simply the best Debussy anniversary before her) she’s leaving us wanting more, that doesn’t mean celebration of any UK orchestra: a kaleidoscopic fortnight of that she’ll be taking her foot off the pedal any time soon. So concerts that embraced the CBSO’s whole extended family of where to climb aboard? How about a pair of programmes youth ensembles, choruses and partner organisations across with the violinist, phenomenon and all-round force of nature the city. known as Patricia Kopatchinskaja – or if you’re a superfan (and most people who’ve experienced her in action would put It’s melancholy to reflect upon what might have been – the themselves straight into that category) “PatKop”? She’s been Varèse festival and the concert performance of Verdi’s La to Brum before, in 2019, and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto has Forza del Destino that were scuppered by the pandemic; never sounded quite the same since. the much-postponed and finally abandoned Britten’s War Requiem at the 2021 Salzburg Festival. (In a Covid-free Friends reunited parallel universe that Salzburg performance alone would surely have generated Europe- wide supply-chain issues for “Incapable of giving a routine performance” was one critic’s critical superlatives). Meanwhile, Mirga is carrying right on verdict, and as for her encore…let’s say you simply had to doing what she does best – devising programmes that reflect be there. Eduardo Vassallo or Kate Suthers can tell you what both her own passions and Birmingham’s musical heritage, went down; for now, let’s just say that it involved both those and conducting them with that unmistakable combination players and Mirga herself, plus the late John Cage – one of of profound insight and life-affirming brio. Who can forget those sudden, gleeful, utterly unexpected moments of shared the extraordinary weekend in 2018 when she brought her magic that make Mirga’s concerts feel like pulling a musical friend Gidon Kremer to Birmingham for a deep dive into Christmas cracker. You never know what surprises are waiting the imagination of Mieczysław Weinberg – a project that to tumble out. Anyway, PatKop and Mirga are reunited in culminated in the UK premiere of Weinberg’s staggering 21st Shostakovich’s brooding monster of a First Violin Concerto, Symphony, and ultimately (for only the second time ever) and a few weeks earlier in Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto. It’s the CBSO winning Recording of the Year at the Gramophone one of those brisk, bristling neoclassical logic-puzzles that Awards? “A watershed moment for Weinberg’s reputation” Stravinsky did better than anyone else in the years between wrote the critic David Fanning. the wars: the story goes that, having been told that the explosive opening chord was physically impossible on the Weinberg and beyond violin, Stravinsky went away and began each movement with exactly that chord.

That journey continues in March, as Mirga conducts two more Weinberg symphonies – a return to the lyrical Third Symphony of 1949, which she conducted (to critical acclaim) at the 2019

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Proms, and a first encounter with the altogether stormier Fourth, composed in 1957 as Weinberg nursed the psychic wounds of the state- sponsored anti-Semitism that had seen him briefly imprisoned before the death of Stalin in 1953.

Shostakovich makes a natural partner for Weinberg’s powerful, multilayered music, and Mirga is joined by another old friend, cellist Sheku Kanneh- Mason, in the rarely-played Second Cello Concerto. “Old” is a relative term, of course – Sheku, incredibly enough, is still only 23. But he’s travelled a long way since his debut recording with Mirga and the CBSO became a worldwide smash (it even topped the US pop charts) in 2018. Like her, he’s an artist on a journey: it’ll be fascinating to hear what he has to say in this mightiest of 20th century cello concertos.

And it’s always fascinating to hear the Venezuelan pianist and composer Gabriela Montero. Famed for her brilliant, freewheeling improvisations, she’s another artist who sees music as a means of connecting people – and maybe even nudging the world, ever so slightly, in a better direction.

“Artists have such power in their hands” she says. “We can appeal to people to help create change, to help create empathy”. She’s worked with Mirga before (though not in Birmingham) and by all accounts their chemistry is something else. The chance to hear the two of them in Tchaikovsky’s First Concerto – with all its exuberance, melody and sheer, unbuttoned emotional generosity – should be very special indeed.

Mirga’s pairing it with a different symphony on each occasion, and you can take your pick. Brahms’s lovely third is the Cinderella of his four symphonies and the only one that ends softly, in the deep glow of a Romantic sunset. It’s very Mirga.

Or you can hear her attempt something entirely new to her (in Birmingham, at least): Bruckner’s majestic Sixth Symphony of 1881. If you needed further proof that this is a conductor who’s always looking to the horizon, undaunted by any artistic challenge – well, it’s on 11 May.

Beginnings and endings But all good things come to an end – even when, like Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla, you’ve packed more adventure, innovation and creative energy into six (eventful) years in Birmingham than some maestros manage in two decades. If you can beg, borrow or buy a ticket for Mahler’s Second Symphony on 25 June, you’ll witness a page being turned.

You’ll also experience a new beginning, with the world premiere of Five Polish Folksongs, the latest of the CBSO’s Centenary Commissions. They’re by Roxanna Panufnik, whose father, the great Anglo-Polish composer Sir Andrzej Panufnik, was the CBSO’s Chief Conductor in the late 1950s, and whose choral epic Faithful Journey – A Mass for Poland was the first piece that Mirga premiered on her return from maternity leave in November 2018. “There is hope, and even humour in Panufnik’s Mass”, wrote one (obviously surprised) critic at the time, and it was one of those evenings where everything seemed to align: a concert that was bigger than the sum of its parts.

Mirga’s always been good at that – seeing music as part of a bigger picture; gathering the threads of art and life, and weaving them into a story that says something vital to everyone who hears it. She makes it look so natural, too. Her last concert as Music Director of the CBSO embraces the CBSO’s own history and modern achievements, celebrates enduring friendships and cherished memories, and brings them all together, in the presence of Birmingham’s whole musical community, to say something genuinely new. Classic Mirga: a chapter ends, but she leaves us in no possible doubt that the story is very far from over.

Written by Richard Bratby

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Our shows will take people back to their youth A1 star Mark Read wrote his latest solo single, Stop the Show, as a metaphor for life in a pandemic. “No matter what’s going on in life, you can’t stop the show,” he insists.

Covid certainly tried its best to stop the ‘boy-band’, who shot to fame in the 1990s. A1’s first UK headline tour for two decades as a reunited quartet was twice postponed due to lockdown. But now they’re back to perform live on The A Game tour including Birmingham Town Hall, a B:Music venue in September 2022.

Recently Mark popped in to test the B:Music hall’s “amazing” acoustics to surprise two local fans, mother and daughter Sharon and Michelle Morris.

Reminiscing about Birmingham’s important place in A1’s history, Mark confessed: “We actually started here, way back in 1997, the year before we officially launched. CBBC’s Big Bash at the NEC was A1’s debut, our first public performance before we’d even released a record. Nobody knew who we were but we made our first fans. It’s amazing how loyal they’ve been to this day.”

Michelle Morris, 35, first fell in love with A1 when she was 14.

She’s looking forward to seeing them again with mum Sharon at Birmingham Town Hall on September 19 2022, nearly three years after originally buying the tickets.

“Their songs are so catchy, you have to get up and dance,” said Michelle, who lives near Atherstone in Warwickshire.

“I used to have so many posters of them that you couldn’t see the wallpaper. I still know all the words and all the dance routines. I can’t fit into the T-shirts, though!

“I once entered a karaoke competition in Coventry because the prize was meeting A1, but I didn’t win. I remember seeing them first at the NEC at being thrilled to be in the same room as them.”

And on meeting Mark, she said: “It’s amazing! I can’t put it into words.”

A1 were put together by the same management as Steps and have sold more than 10 million records. They had eight UK top 10 hits, including two number ones, with songs like Take on

Me, Like a Rose and Same Old Brand New You. The band comprises Mark, Ben Adams, Paul Marazzi and Christian Ingebrigtsen from Norway. They had a hiatus in 2002 when Paul left and Mark focused on writing songs for other artists including Boyzone, Michael Bolton and Robin Gibb. The trio reformed in 2009 and have played together since, with Paul rejoining in 2018.

“Paul had his personal reasons for leaving but it was so nice when we got back together,” says Mark. “I think the fans really missed him, as he brought a lot of laughs to the band. He’s so much fun.”

The quartet gigged together again around South East Asia and was part of the Boys Are Back! UK tour with Five, 911 and Damage. It started in February 2020 and they played Symphony Hall in Birmingham but couldn’t finish all the dates because of Covid.

Lockdown then scuppered A1’s headlining A Game tour, due to begin later in 2020.

Mark explains: “We postponed from 2020, then again from October 2021. The whole point of the tour is to showcase our new album, but because of lockdown we haven’t been able to get together to finish it. We want to give ourselves time to do it properly. So now the album will be released just before the September tour. We want the show to be new and something really special.

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“We really appreciate people buying tickets and being patient. We were heartbroken that we had to reschedule but everyone’s safety comes first.”

So what’s the biggest difference between performing now and 20 years ago?

“The volume of the screams!” laughs Mark, now 43. “I think we broke records for how loud our audiences were, but they’re a bit more reserved now because everyone is a little older.

“We thought we’d hung up our dancing shoes but we still do the routines, as that’s what the fans want to see.

“Our shows will take people back to their youth. I know every generation has their golden age, but our era was a really great time for pop with bands like Steps, S Club 7, Five, Bewitched and Blue. Now most acts come from reality TV shows and TikTok but there aren’t really any boy bands in the UK any more.

“I much prefer touring now because we have so much more control over what we’re doing. We are the band now, rather than touring with other musicians. We’ve always played instruments but we have more involvement now.

“Our hairstyles and fashion choices are better. Ben was Mr Curtains and used half a can of hairspray every time we went out. Everything we wore in the ‘90s was pretty questionable. I remember when our management wanted us to pick a colour each. We all wore white trousers with a different coloured top – mine was red. We looked like the Teletubbies!”

A1 play Town Hall, a B:Music venue on Mon 19 September 2022.

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Supporters Trusts and Foundations Alan Woodhead Trust Alchemy Foundation Allan and Nesta Ferguson Trust Angus Allnatt Charitable Foundation Arts Council England Backstage Trust Blakemore Foundation Cole Charitable Trust D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust Daiwa Foundation Dumbreck Charity Edward and Dorothy Cadbury Trust Edward Cadbury Charitable Trust Eveson Charitable Trust Foyle Foundation GJW Turner Trust GNC Trust Garfield Weston Foundation Geoff Hill Charitable Trust George Cadbury Fund George Fentham Birmingham Charity George Henry Collins Charity Grantham Yorke Trust Grimmitt Trust Heathcock Charitable Trust John Feeney Charitable Trust Joseph Hopkins and Henry James Sayer Charities Lillie Johnson Charitable Trust Limoges Trust Lord Austin Trust

MK Rose Charitable Trust Michael Marsh Charitable Trust Mills and Reeve Charitable Trust Oakley Charitable Trust PRS Foundation Patrick Trust RVJ Cadbury Charitable Trust Roger and Douglas Turner Charitable Trust Ronnie Scott’s Charitable Foundation Rotary Club of Birmingham Roughley Trust Rowlands Trust Saintbury Trust WED Charitable Trust Westhill Endowment William A Cadbury Trust Corporate Supporters Birmingham City University Browne Jacobson Hyatt Regency Q-Park WMGC Corporate Patrons PMP Consultants Colmore Partners Arden Oak Properties & Investments

Makers Circle Mr P Ashen, Jayne Cadbury MBE, Paul Carter, Paul & Dee Cocking, W. Peter Dunne, G. Cm. & Fionuala A. Dunne, Roger G. Guest, Dr Brian Gwynn, P & J Hall, Vivianne Hollinshead, Dr C G Johnston, The Justham Family, Lynn Lawrenson, James & Meg Martineau, Ian McAlpine, Ian C Norton, Jenna & Jeremy Plewes, Ald. Mike Poulter MBE & Mrs K Poulter, Pat Poynton, Mr I & Mrs G Reaves, Nick and Carole Reed, Graham Russell & Gloria Bates, Helen Russell, John & Pat Rutter, Gillian Shaw, Bryan Smith, Tony Smith, David & Lucy Stanley, Isabel Stewart, Mr A Taylor, Robert & Julia Verrion, Howard & Judy Vero, Dr D & Mr P Wardley, Alan Woodfield and other anonymous donors.

Patrons Mr M Archer, Anita Bhalla OBE, Mr & Mrs Bentley, Mr Ross Browning, Mr & Mrs H Buckingham, Paul & Dee Cocking, Mrs Teresa Cook, Mrs E Cooke, Mr J Cunningham-Dexter, Mr N & Mrs P Cunningham-Dexter, Lady G Curtis, Mr R & Mrs C Evans, Mr R Guest, Mr & Mrs Martyn R Hale, Mr Philip Harrison, Mr Peter How, Mr Ian Illes, Dr Johnston, Dr & Mrs D Kett, Mr K Martin, Mr & Mrs P Maskell, Mr David R.Mayes OBE, Mrs E Murray, David Owens, Mr Robert Pockney, Ms K Porter, Glenda Quin, Mr Jim Quinn, Mr J Redshaw, Mr Graham Russell, Mrs J Rutter, Mr K Stokes-Smith, Mr & Mrs Stormont, Mr & Mrs G Tovell, Mr Neville Trumper, Mr & Mrs Verrion, Dr Diana & Mr Peter Wardley, Mr A Watson, Mr M Wilkes, Mr & Mrs Willis, Mr A J Woodfield and anonymous supporters.

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How to book How to book Online: bmusic.co.uk By phone: 0121 780 3333 Telephone lines open Monday to Saturday, 10am – 2pm.

In person: Symphony Hall’s Box Office is open Monday to Saturday (please check the website for full details as these are subject to change). Closed Sundays and Bank Holidays, except when there is an event (open two hours before event starts) Town Hall’s Box Office is open two hours before the start of a performance.

How to reach us: Symphony Hall is located in Centenary Square, Birmingham, B1 2EA Town Hall is located in Victoria Square, Birmingham, B3 3DQ

Accessibility Everyone is welcome at Town Hall and Symphony Hall, and we will do whatever we can to ensure that you have an enjoyable visit.

We know that sometimes the best way to prepare for a trip is to have a look around, that’s why our friends at Autism West Midlands created a fantastic interactive Google street view available at bmusic.co.uk. Explore both venues all the way from the street to the stage, ahead of your visit from the comfort of your home.

Access line: 0121 289 6343

Staff list Chief Executive Officer Nick Reed Chief Operating Officer Nick Loveland Commercial Food and Beverage Duty Manager Jesse Sun Food and Beverage Duty Manager Steven Zhao Director of Commercial Sales Nicole Evans Kitchen Manager/Chef Lee Hollington Food and Beverage Manager Claire Fisher Event and Contract Administrator Caroline Manders Chef de Partie Chris Duckworth

Data protection Once you have booked tickets all your contact details will be held and processed on our Box Office marketing database and from time to time we may send you information about the programme of events at Town Hall and Symphony Hall using any one of the contact methods provided. Other arts organisation and companies carefully selected by B:Music may also be interested in sending you information on events and product they think will be of interest. If you do not want your details to be passed to another organisation, please let us know at time of booking. If you wish to amend your consent, please log into your online account or contact Box Office on 0121 289 6333. To read our full Data Promise, visit bmusic.co.uk

Development Head of Development Louise Arnold Development Manager Guy Oddy Development Manager Laura Tellwright Development Officer Emma Grainger

Disclaimer Information in this guide was correct at the time of going to press and published in good faith. Unforeseen circumstances, however, may result in changes to the published programme or names of artists: please check prior to booking.

Finance Director of Finance Janine Bradley Sales, Events & Purchase Ledger Glenn Hughes Event Accountant Yvonne Martin Financial Accountant Alexandra Forrester Financial Accountant Karen Rowbottom Management Accountant Gillian Tuby Finance Assistant Harvinder Sowan

Executive Head of HR Rachel Adams HR Apprentice Safwan Ahmed Executive Assistant Sarah Coward HR Apprentice Lauryn Forbes Facilities Facilities Manager Michelle Walker

Front of House Front of House Manager Peggy Powell Operations Assistant Catherine Cotton Customer Services Manager Philip Thomas IT IT Manager Garry Albrow IT Systems Administrator & Support Analyst Joshua Williams Production & Technical Technician Chris Griffiths

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Technician Michael Aston Production Coordinator David Casswell Production Coordinator Des Hall Production Manager Kat Hodgkinson Technician Alex Nankivell Technical Manager Rebecca Pratchett Technician David Shephard Production Coordinator Sarah Taylor Programme Event Assistant Apprentice Aaron Carmichael Talent Development Manager Richard Foote Head of Programme Chris Proctor Contemporary Programme Producer Sally Rea Morris Ticketing Head of Ticketing Jess Nolan Ticket Sales Assistant Andrew Pincher Ticket Sales Assistant Darren Coleman Ticket Sales Assistant Pete Stevens Ticket Sales Assistant Steven Gardener BO Manager (Interim) Vicky Heath BO Supervisor Zel Gurney Events and Ticketing Officer Jonny Dowsett Events and Ticketing Officer Kerrie McGoldrick Marketing Digital Marketing Apprentice Ibi Keita Digital Content Manager Eva Phillips Head of Marketing Kath Lewin Marketing Manager Danny Watkins Marketing & Communication Assistant Lerah Barcenilla

Contributors Interviews by Sam Moore Born and raised in Selly Oak, Birmingham, Sam is a writer and journalist now based in south-west London. He primarily writes for NME, and has previously written for the BBC, The i and Birmingham Mail, among others.

Brochure Design by Luke Tonge & Grace Tomlinson Luke is a graphic designer, lecturer, and events wrangler in Birmingham. He specialises in identity & editorial work for brands, agencies and charities. Grace is a multidisciplinary creative whose practice consists of brand identity, interior & packaging design and illustration. She’s enthusiastic about making well-considered, timeless and meaningful design.

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Return address B:Music Ltd, Symphony Hall, 8 Centenary Square, Birmingham, B1 2EA.