Our ever-popular annual showcase of talent from within the Vocal Department. Come and join us for a varied evening which will tour a wide range of operas from jewels of the baroque through to the daringly contemporary. Whether you're new to opera or a seasoned spectator, there's something here for everyone! Generously supported by The Linbury Trust.

Opera Scenes

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

Supersonic Festival are delighted to welcome back Bohren & Der Club of Gore to Birmingham at the stunning Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, the first time they have graced these Midlands shores since 2012.

Bohren & Der Club of Gore

Hans Zimmer, the constant collaborator in his films and one of the greatest film composers of our time, is an Oscar winner, a two-time Golden Globe winner, and a three-time Grammy winner. Zimmer’s original compositions will be reimagined for a unique ensemble of instruments, combining electronics and acoustic instruments.

Interstellar

One of the rising stars of the European jazz scene, tenor saxophonist Gideon Tazelaar grew up in the Netherlands, where he developed his musical skills by playing with saxophonist Benjamin Herman and drummer John Engels from a young age.

A prodigious talent, he was admitted to the Bachelor’s degree programme at Amsterdam Conservatoire at the age of just 14.

Gideon Tazelaar (saxophone)

Fairport Convention have been entertaining music lovers for over half a century, with 2024 being their 57th anniversary! During that time the band that launched British folk-rock has seen many changes, but one thing has remained the same - Fairport’s passion for performance.

This year’s Autumn Tour will present a mix of long-established Fairport favourites and some surprises from albums old and new.

Fairport Convention

Described as “a breath of fresh air on the swing scene”, Down for the Count are regularly found in jazz clubs across the UK and abroad (Ronnie Scott’s London, Le Caveau de la Huchette Paris), at festivals including London Jazz Festival, and on BBC Radio. Now they are bringing the sounds and feels of the best jazz clubs to theatres around the country – with an electrifying show full of incredible energy, musicianship, and their own signature wry wit and humour.

A Century of Swing

Dark Days is a fascinating book that deals with some of the issues of race and identity in the USA. Neil has integrated some of the words from the book into the compositions, and these are delivered by vocalist Cleveland Watkiss. The group also features Pat Thomas on piano and Mark Sanders on drums.

Neil Charles: Dark Days

Sophia Domancich (pictured above with Paul Dunmall) is a French pianist with whom Paul Dunmall played recently at the Bath Jazz Weekend along with James Owston on bass and Miles Levin on drums. They played a beautiful set strongly reminiscent of John Coltrane's spiritual jazz and this is the musical territory they will be exploring again at this concert

Sophia Domancich, James Owston and Miles Levin

As one of Iceland’s most successful exports, singer songwriter Ásgeir has spent the time between his record-breaking debut (now celebrating its 10th anniversary) and today pushing the boundaries of his textured, thoughtful brand of folk-pop.

Ásgeir

The Buoyancy Band is led by German pianist/composer, Pablo Held. It's an exciting new band that has four of Europe's top players: Percy Pursglove on trumpet and flugelhorn, Kit Downes on Hammond organ and Leif Berger on drums.

Pablo Held and the Buoyancy Band

Performed by the modern orchestra Mystery Ensemble, the virtuoso playing of the musicians will instantly transport you to a distant fantasy world with elves, hobbits and dwarves! Music loved by millions of people gives you goosebumps.

The Music of The Lord of The Rings. Tribute to Howard Shore with orchestra

Mystery Ensemble has collected magical music from his animations and compositions inspired by his creations. The evening programme includes renowned works composed by ingenious Joe Hisaishi, including My Neighbor Totoro, the legendary movie Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, Laputa: Castle in the Sky and others. The programme also includes works by other composers inspired by Miyazaki’s artworks.

Hayao Miyazaki's Dreams by Mystery Ensemble

Come and listen to the beautiful voices of the children of The National Children’s Choir of Great Britain, as they sing for you in their summer concert.

The NCCGB brings together talented singers aged 9 – 19 from across the country, to make music under the tutelage of top choral professionals.

National Children's Choir of GB

Join us for a colourful celebration of music, food and fun to mark South Asian Heritage Month. The event will be headlined by a virtuoso performance from celebrated international violinist Ustad Johar Ali. 

The Music of our Community: A BCU Concert for South Asian Heritage Month

A fabulous show accumulating 20-years of hard work and enthusiasm creating Dance, Gymnastics, Cheerleading and Musical Theatre pieces performed by students who practice for “Dazzlers Dance and Gymnastics group” from Castle Bromwich, Birmingham.

Dazzlers 20-year Anniversary Show

'Fairlight' is a Musical that sets the origin story of lawn tennis in a queer context, shining a light on the absence of any openly LGBT+ professional male players. It contrasts historic and current stories, inviting audiences to form their own interpretation of tennis's seemingly straight history.

Fairlight

Edgbaston Archery & Lawn Tennis Society

Made up of 200 Birmingham-based singers, SO Vocal is CBSO’s unauditioned community choir open to anyone who lives locally and loves to sing. They rehearse weekly in Kings Heath and perform up to three times a year in venues such as Symphony Hall and Town Hall. SO Vocal will be performing a varied programme of music including many familiar classics! SO Vocal are conducted by Lucy Hollins.

CBSO SO Vocal

The EcoSomatics Conversations invites sharing of engagement, practices and thinking around environmental awareness through embodiment activities, dance and art. It posits a definition of EcoSomatics as of the body-mind-ecology and takes the form of open public dialogues between two (or more) people- independent artists, practioners, and academics.

EcoSomatics Conversations Series

Joe Cutler and Max Hoehn’s new opera explores the meaning of music in a terrifying world. Inspired by the remarkable life of Maria Yudina, the virtuoso pianist and survivor of Stalin’s purges, this dark absurdist thriller is brought to life by BCMG and a fine cast of soloists. Conceived as an intimate sound experience, the piece is influenced by the radio operas of the past and the recent flourishing of audio drama during the pandemic.

Joe Cutler Chamber Opera

CBSO Centre

Violinist and Suzuki Violin teacher Louis Robinson brings his pupils from across the city to play a selection of pieces from Suzuki Violin books 1-5, as well as other pieces including Brahms' Hungarian Dance No.5, Melodie by Storyk and Pachabel's Cannon.

Louis' Big Summer Concert

Condemned to roam the seas for having defied God, the Flying Dutchman is cast ashore. Both man and ship can only seek redemption if true love can break the curse. 

RBC alumnus Byron Jackson FRSA leads an all-star cast of some of the UK’s finest Commonwealth opera singers and features the Birmingham Choral Union, a commissioned work by renowned composer Bobbie-Jane Gardner, community youth choruses and the Central England Camerata under the baton of Jack Ridley.

Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman)

Junior RBC: Symphony Orchestra and Intermediate Choir

The Birmingham International Piano Competition has a proud history in our city going back to its founder Amy Brant. She was well known for playing a different Beethoven Sonata every day and so it is in her honour that our three finalists on Friday will each play a Beethoven Sonata ("Waldstein", "Les Adieux" and Op. 110) followed by contrasting romantic works (Chopin, Franck, Rachmaninoff).

Birmingham International Piano Competition - Final

The festival’s internationally-renowned competition selects emerging filmmakers’ works from South Asia and around the world. All the selected films are, in different ways, felt to enshrine the legendary director Satyajit Ray’s humanist vision and subtlety of story and eye. From this year’s shortlisted films, a jury will decide on the winner, and the director will win a £1,000 cash prize, supported by Civic Studios.

Satyajit Ray Short Film Competition

Bringing together scholars from across career stages, the programme includes papers examining a range of issues relating to working on music from the period, as well as sessions on research methods, and two concerts featuring music of the time.

Issues in Scholarship in Music of the 17th and 18th Centuries: Sources, Editing, Performance

Enjoy a lunchtime programme exploring repertoire for solo voice, obbligato cornett and basso continuo from the dawn of the Baroque era.

The Gonzaga Band

Experimental string music by Pachelbel, Biber and Buxtehude.

Instruments of Time and Truth

The Tale of Snake is a new original play derived from ancient Chinese folklore, Madame White Snake. The play explores humanity, justice, and life through the love and hatred between mankind and “Yao” (human-formed beasts).

This is a production filled with experiments and innovation, which bravely integrates the profound backgrounds of Chinese literature and operatic arts with Western dramatic culture to demonstrate our new interpretation of the story as cross-cultural scholars.

The Tale of Snake

Internationally-renowned tenor, James Gilchrist joins composer-pianist, Eric McElroy - described as “one of the leading composer-pianists of his generation” - for an evening of English Song, including McElroy's own work, 'The Fetch'.

James Gilchrist (tenor) and Eric McElroy (piano)

This is a Christmas celebration like no other, as Down for the Count recreate the music of Nat ‘King’ Cole, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and many more in a luscious 30-piece orchestral setting evoking the sounds of the great Capitol Studios recordings. 

Expect to hear faithful recreations of the best music of the swing era including I’ve Got You Under My Skin, New York New York and ‘S Wonderful, alongside original arrangements of jazz and festive standards written by principal conductor Mike Paul-Smith and arranger Simon Joyner including Winter Wonderland and It’s Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas.

Swing Into Christmas

Minima Naturalia is an exciting new work by RBC jazz lecturer Ed Puddick (pictured) for percussion ensemble, and featuring saxophonist Paul Dunmall.

Minima Naturalia is a musical realisation of Aristotle's ancient theories on the building blocks of the natural world.

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

21 - 23 Nov, 2024

Opera Scenes

Nov 22, 2024

James Gilchrist (tenor) and Eric McElroy (piano)

Nov 30, 2024

Swing Into Christmas

Dec 5, 2024

Minima Naturalia: Paul Dunmall + Percussion Ensemble

21 - 23 Nov, 2024

Opera Scenes

Nov 9, 2024

Bohren & Der Club of Gore

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire