First Word Birmingham January NEW.qxp_Layout 1 14/12/2021 12:59 Page 1
News from around the region
Motionhouse to launch Birmingham 2022 Festival Internationally renowned dance-circus company Motionhouse will open the Birmingham 2022 Festival with a large-scale performance event titled Wondrous Stories. The Leamington Spa company’s artistic director and co-founder, Kevin Finnan, has created the piece, which is ‘packed full of visual magic and spectacular aerial moments’. Kevin is joined by a team of artistic collaborators, including Birminghambased choreographers Sonia Sabri and Jamaal Burkmar. Featuring a cast of over 300 performers, Wondrous Stories has been co-produced by Motionhouse and two other West Midlandsbased organisations: Outdoor Places Unusual Spaces (OPUS) and JA Productions. It will be performed in Centenary Square from 17 to 20 March. The Birmingham 2022 Festival is a six-month celebration shining a global spotlight on creativity in the West Midlands. The event has been inspired by the city’s hosting of the Commonwealth Games.
Coronation Street star launches new initiative
Royal Conservatoire takes over piano festival
Coronation Street star Lorna Laidlaw (who plays the character of Aggie Bailey in the popular ITV1 soap) has helped launch a new schools programme designed to highlight the contribution made by those who settled in Birmingham from the Commonwealth. A collaboration between Sampad South Asian Arts & Heritage, Birmingham Archives, the University of Birmingham and Historic England, the programme features an informative and educational exhibition of rarely seen photographs. The exhibition will tour into schools and run alongside an extensive resources pack, enabling students to understand the stories behind the photographs.
The trustees of the Birmingham International Piano Competition and Birmingham City University have formally completed an agreement to transfer responsibility for the competition to Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. The move marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the globally acclaimed event. The next competition takes place at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire in the summer, with early rounds on 23 & 24 June and the final on 3 July.
UB40 launch new music heritage map project Members of Birmingham band UB40 have launched a series of maps celebrating the city’s rich music heritage. The maps are being rolled out at 30 railway stations across the city as part of the ongoing Musical Routes project. The reggae superstars visited Hall Green station to reveal the first specially commissioned map, which immortalises music and musicians from the area.
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Adam Regan, director of Birmingham livemusic venue The Hare & Hounds, which hosted UB40’s first-ever gig in 1979, joined the musicians to formally unveil the map. The Musical Routes project, conceived and produced by the city’s Birmingham Music Archive, will take rail passengers ‘on a route to the roots of the city’s musical heritage’.
Leona Lewis in Birmingham Former X-Factor winner Leona Lewis has announced a major UK tour for Christmas 2022 - including a stop-off at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena on Thursday 15 December. To book tickets for the show, visit gigsandtours.com or ticketmaster.co.uk
