University News Last updated 02 December 2016
Birmingham Conservatoire has received a £250,000 donation from The Michael Bishop Foundation to further enhance its new home ahead of its opening in 2017.
The Michael Bishop Foundation was established by former airline boss Lord Glendonbrook CBE, and his gift will help ensure the new Conservatoire is exceptionally equipped for the needs of today’s young musicians and the demands of the digital age.
Part of Birmingham City University and with a history dating back to 1859, Birmingham Conservatoire is one of the leading music academies in the country. Internationally renowned cellist Professor Julian Lloyd Webber took up the role of its Principal in 2015, as the Conservatoire prepares to move to a new state-of-the-art facility next year.
The new Conservatoire will be a unique contemporary building, incorporating five public performance spaces, including a new 500 seat concert hall for orchestral training and performance, private rehearsal and practice rooms, and teaching spaces for musicians from a variety of disciplines.
Furthermore, as the first purpose built conservatoire in the UK since 1987, it will be the only one of its kind in the country designed for the demands of the digital age. The £57 million building, currently under construction in the Eastside region of the City, will also be home to Birmingham’s only dedicated jazz venue.
“The team at the Conservatoire are passionate, talented and dedicated to giving our students the best possible musical education. The endorsement for their work which comes from a gift like this will spur them on to even greater heights.”
Lord Glendonbrook, formerly known as Michael Bishop, is the former owner and Chairman of British Midland International (BMI), and was also Chairman of Channel 4 between 1993 and 1997. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by Birmingham City University in 1993 for services to the aviation industry.
Helen Geary, Head of Development and Alumni Relations, Birmingham City University, added:“The move to a new home has given us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to consider what a conservatoire for the 21st century should be like, and accordingly Birmingham Conservatoire has aspirations beyond the new building as it stands to enhance its facilities and attract the most talented students and artists.
“Lord Glendonbrook’s generous donation will help us achieve these aims, which include to be the world's first truly 'digital conservatoire', and to increase our ability to offer scholarships to ensure the most talented students are able to study here, regardless of their background.”