Face the Music: A Tribute to ELO’s Richard Tandy

Face the Music: A Tribute to ELO’s Richard Tandy
Guest Artists
Date and time
07 Nov 2025 7pm - 9pm
Location

The Bradshaw Hall, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, 200 Jennens Road, B4 7XR

Price

£50 Premium seats
£30 Standard
£20 Balcony seats

Booking Information

Wheelchair users are entitled to concessionary priced tickets with a complimentary companion seat.

Assistance dogs are welcome at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire venues. If you wish to bring an assistance dog or wheelchair, please let the Events Office know by calling 0121 331 5909.

Synthesiser and keyboard player Richard Tandy on stage with ELO.

Face the Music with RBC orchestra and choir featuring Big Horizon

A tribute to ELO’s Richard Tandy

7pm – Q&A with former ELO band members and Big Horizon

7:45pm – Interval

8pm – Face the Music: a tribute to ELO’s Richard Tandy concert

9pm – Concert Ends

RBC students, former members of ELO and Big Horizon come together to pay tribute to iconic ELO keyboardist Richard Tandy in this unique event celebrating Richard’s contribution to the band.

Featuring a Q&A with past members of ELO, followed by a unique musical performance of ELO hits with Big Horizon and RBC orchestral and vocal students, this will be an evening to remember.

Tandy, who joined ELO in 1972, played bass guitar, keyboards, occasional vocals and most famously the Minimoog synthesiser. He was a core member of the group, rejoining Jeff Lynne’s ELO in 2014.

Richard made his final on-stage appearance at RBC in 2019 during the Earthrise concert. He passed away on the 1st May 2024, leaving an extraordinary collection of memorabilia and instruments to RBC, as well as giving his name to a new Scholarship to support young musicians in piano, keyboard and guitar. Established by generous donations from Richard’s wife, Sheila, and ELO co-founder Jeff Lynne, the inaugural Richard Tandy Scholar will be appointed in October 2025.

Dave Scott-Morgan, ELO guitarist from 1981-86, and co-founder of the Tandy-Morgan Band with Richard in 1985, hopes the suite will inspire the next generation of musicians: “Richard is proof that anyone can plant a small seed and have it grow into a giant oak… He was a gifted musician in his own right, but his greatest work was the support and influence he brought to the creative process.”

This spectacular concert will celebrate Richard and his musical achievements AND raise further funds to help more young musicians follow in Richard’s footsteps. Profits from the concert will support the Richard Tandy Scholarship, and Premium tickets are particularly charitable, contributing a combined extra £1,000+ to the Scholarship fund. You can also donate directly to the Richard Tandy Scholarship during check-out.

About Big Horizon

Big Horizon are Mike Stevens, Iain Hornall, Donovan Hepburn, Jo Webb & Lee Pomeroy. They have been the backbone of Jeff Lynne’s ELO since 2013 and Take That’s band since 2006. The band represents a group of friends and musicians bringing together their musical loves in one place’ Those friends have played for Take That, ELO, Annie Lennox, Adele, 10cc, Yes and they were the house band for the Queens Golden Jubilee concert in 2012. But when the UK & Europe leg of the ELO tour was cancelled due to Covid in 2020 the guys finally started to make the band a reality.

Forthcoming events in Guest Artists

Forthcoming dates include:

ESO Youth Symphony Orchestra

Fri 22 Aug 2025 - 7pm
Guest Artists

The Music of The Lord of The Rings

Sat 23 Aug 2025 - 7pm
Guest Artists

Peter Donohoe Celebrity Piano Recital

Tue 16 Sep 2025 - 7.30pm
Guest Artists

A Laugh Supreme with Daman Bamrah and Katie Norris

Fri 19 Sep 2025 - 7pm
Guest Artists

MenCon by Neil Luck and Chihiro Ono

Wed 24 Sep 2025 - 6.30pm
Guest Artists

Trish Clowes - MY IRIS

Thu 25 Sep 2025 - 6.30pm
Guest Artists

Hayao Miyazaki's Dreams by Mystery Ensemble

Sat 27 Sep 2025 - 6pm
Guest Artists

Mela Guitar Quartet

Thu 2 Oct 2025 - 6.30pm
Guest Artists

Jose Zalba-Smith - ARRIBA CUBA Project

Tue 7 Oct 2025 - 1.05pm
Guest Artists

Paddington Trio

Wed 8 Oct 2025 - 1.45pm
Guest Artists

The Ellington Piano Project

Thu 9 Oct 2025 - 1.05pm
Guest Artists

The Music of Harry Potter by Mystery Ensemble

Sat 11 Oct 2025 - 7pm
Guest Artists

Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra - From Italy with Love

Sun 12 Oct 2025 - 3pm
Guest Artists

Ben Elton: What have I done?

Tue 14 Oct 2025 - 7.30pm
Guest Artists

Karine Georgian and John Thwaites

Wed 15 Oct 2025 - 1.45pm
Guest Artists

Jason Palmer (trumpet)

Thu 16 Oct 2025 - 6.30pm
Guest Artists

A Laugh Supreme: Maria Shehata and Hasan Al-Habib

Fri 17 Oct 2025 - 7pm
Guest Artists

Tim Berne's Capatosta

Thu 23 Oct 2025 - 6.30pm
Guest Artists

Complete Shostakovich Preludes and Fugues

Tue 28 Oct 2025 - 7pm
Guest Artists

Chartreuse

Sat 1 Nov 2025 - 7pm
Guest Artists

Big Band Monday

Mon 3 Nov 2025 - 6pm
Guest Artists

Paul Dunmall Invites Steve Swell

Thu 6 Nov 2025 - 6.30pm
Guest Artists

Dave Pegg & AJ Clarke + Churchfitters

Sun 9 Nov 2025 - 8pm
Guest Artists

Fibonacci Quartet

Tue 11 Nov 2025 - 3pm
Guest Artists

A Laugh Supreme with Frances Keyton and Jacob Nussey

Fri 14 Nov 2025 - 7pm
Guest Artists

City of Birmingham Choir

Sun 16 Nov 2025 - 3pm
Guest Artists

Henry Fairs: Celebrity organ concert

Tue 25 Nov 2025 - 6pm
Guest Artists

The Christmas Orchestra

Sun 30 Nov 2025 - 6pm
Sun 30 Nov 2025 - 8.30pm
Guest Artists

Paul Dunmall Invites Nikki Yeoh

Thu 4 Dec 2025 - 6.30pm
Guest Artists

Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra – Cinderella and other pantomime stories

Sun 7 Dec 2025 - 3pm
Guest Artists

Christmas with The Salvation Army

Sun 14 Dec 2025 - 2.30pm
Guest Artists

Swing That Music!

Sat 31 Jan 2026 - 7.30pm
Guest Artists

Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra – Shostakovich 10

Sun 15 Feb 2026 - 3pm
Guest Artists