University News Last updated 16 September 2022
Hello everyone!
It gives me great pleasure to share details of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s Autumn 2022 season of live events. We’ll be presenting a wide range of recitals, concerts, gigs, theatre productions and experimental performances, not only within our own five public venues but also at sites across the city.
Our season opens on Monday 26 September with the first in this year’s popular free Monday Lunchtime Music series, featuring music by Beethoven, Bartók and Poulenc performed by our talented students.
Across the term, Eastside Jazz Club boasts an impressive number of guest artists, including Tim Garland and Jason Rebello’s Duology on Thursday 22 September, virtuosic guitarists John Etheridge and John Stowell on Thursday 6 and 13 October respectively, as well as the inimitable saxophonist Jean Toussaint in November.
RBC’s own theatre work is showcased in three exciting productions at The Crescent Theatre this October: imaginative approaches to Romeo and Juliet and The Taming of The Shrew, and Michael Webborn and Daniel Finn’s original musical ‘faerytale’, The Clockmaker’s Daughter. Staff and students can access complimentary tickets for these via The Crescent’s website, using their BCU email address.
Our #BirminghamNewMusic series, which takes place in The Lab, represents our cutting-edge work. Here you’ll be spoilt with premieres of compositions and performance art that challenge all pre-conceptions of form and presentation. Don’t miss Howard Skempton, Andy Ingamells and Michael Wolters as they perform some of John Cage’s works including Organ2/ASLAP, One7 and Variations I (19 October).
November is particularly busy. Don’t miss our Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall on Wednesday 2 November. Other highlights include the premiere performance of Errolyn Wallen’s piano concerto, specially commissioned by RBC (Friday 4 November), the RBC Organ Festival celebrating the installation of our new Wolfson organ, built by Flentrop Orgelbouw (14-18 November) and our Birmingham International Piano Chamber Music Competition (14-16 Nov), as well as our ever-popular Opera Scenes (17-19 November).
All RBC events taking place at the Conservatoire are free to BCU staff and students. Book online at www.bcu.ac.uk/concerts using your BCU email address, and your discount will automatically be applied at the checkout – no need to enter a code. For ticketing queries, please contact conservatoireevents@bcu.ac.uk
I much look forward to welcoming you to Royal Birmingham Conservatoire at some point this term!
With all best wishes,
Professor Shirley Thompson
Interim Principal