City of Sounds Festival

Saying goodbye to Birmingham Conservatoire’s Adrian Boult Hall

In a city recognised for its architectural transformations, the City of Sounds festival is an invitation to remember, to celebrate and to look to the future of Birmingham’s rich music scene.

• Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (20 May)
• Ex Cathedra - In a Strange Land (26 May)
• Unique performance from City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (4 June)
• Jazzlines (10 June)
• Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra (11 June)
• Birmingham Festival Choral Society and Queens Park Sinfonia (22 May).

We are joined by:

• ‘The man with the golden flute’ Sir James Galway and his wife Lady Jeanne (1 May)
• City Talk with Mike Stevens and Julian Lloyd Webber (3 June)
• Birmingham’s favourite mega-folk misfits The Destroyers (19 June)
• The elite of the brass band world Tredegar Town Band (22 June)
• Jazz bass legend Dave Holland (24 June).

Representing the best of the regions young musical talent, there are performances by:

• Birmingham Music Service ensembles (8 and 14 May),
• Talented young musicians from the Aspire programme (11 June)
• and Junior Conservatoire choirs and orchestras (25 June).

There are also concerts by our senior students and ensembles including:

• BBC Young Jazz Musician of the Year finalist Elliot Sampson (10 May),
• The award winning Chamber Choir directed by Paul Spicer (17 June)
• The touring Folk Ensemble directed by Joe Broughton (19 June).

City of Sounds will close with Requiem for a Concert Hall - a performance of Verdi’s Requiem by our critically acclaimed Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sir Richard Armstrong which will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 (26 June).

Celebrating the past – looking to the future

You can’t fail to notice the redevelopment underway in the Paradise area of Birmingham City Centre, as part of which Birmingham Conservatoire loses its Adrian Boult Hall ahead of its move to a brand new venue in 2017.

The hall has been a musical home to many world class musicians and Conservatoire students that have passed through its doors. It has also fulfilled a central role in the cultural fabric of Birmingham as a performance, rehearsal and recording space for a wealth of professional, semi-professional community and young musicians and arts organisations. With City of Sounds we tell the stories and history of this dual role and say goodbye to the much-loved hall, as we look ahead to an exciting future.

City of Sounds is a one-of-a-kind event in Birmingham’s history, paving the way for the sounds of a future yet to unfold. With everything from classical and jazz to new music and folk, enjoy a summer of music making at its most collaborative, and a demonstration of Birmingham as the true City of Sounds.

City of Sounds is supported by BCU Graduate+

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