What's On Feb '20 - Mar '20 Classical at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

CLASSICAL

WHAT’S ON

WHAT’S ON

TUE 3 MAR

DANIELA ROSSI

THU 6 FEB

FEB – MAR ’20 0121 331 5909 | BCU.AC.UK/CONCERTS /RoyalBirmCons

@BirmCons

Birmingham City University

/RoyalBirmCons

@BirmCons

NICOLA BENEDETTI Violin Masterclass

Birmingham City University

NAME YOUR SEAT

WHAT’S ON

World-class performances and tomorrow’s stars, today at RBC Indulge your love of music in our daytime and evening concerts from the very best young musicians to world-famous performers at the peak of their powers.

FREE LUNCHTIME MUSIC Mondays at 1.05pm Catch our rising stars perform everything from sublime solo piano to intimate chamber recitals, pulsating percussion to invigorating vocals.

COMMUTER CONCERTS Thursdays at 6pm Beat the rush hour blues and enjoy concerts from the best up-and-coming artists making a name for themselves in the classical world.

ORCHESTRAL CONCERTS Our long-standing orchestral series feature a range of large ensembles showcasing their talents, tackling zestful, pioneering repertoire. Look out for our free pre-CBSO concerts at Symphony Hall, too!

GUEST ARTISTS Witness exceptional guest artists grown from both classical and new music roots perform programmes of beautiful, thought-provoking pieces.

THIS IS WHAT YOU SAID:

“Excellent venue, excellent musicians, excellent evening.

Thank you.”

“Absolutely brilliant. Thank you for a wonderful evening.”

“Excellent venue, superb talent demonstrated.”

“A very high standard for such young musicians and singers.”

“The sound quality for this show was the best I've heard.”

DON’T FORGET

Experience cutting-edge compositions and thrilling performance art from our composers as they break new ground, seeking untouched territories of sound.

BE PART OF ROYAL BIRMINGHAM CONSERVATOIRE’S FUTURE BY NAMING A SEAT IN OUR FANTASTIC NEW CONCERT VENUE, THE BRADSHAW HALL.

Contact robin.leonard@bcu.ac.uk

Birmingham City University

We also boast an impressive programme of jazz and theatre productions. See www.bcu.ac.uk/concerts for our full programme.

3

MON 3 FEB

BARTÓK, RAVEL 1.05pm Recital Hall Free admission Alicja Humeniuk violin Bartók Tempo di ciaccona from Sonata for Solo Violin Ravel Violin Sonata in G

VENUE HIRE

TUE 4 FEB

HYUNGI LEE PERCUSSION RECITAL

IN BIRMINGHAM CITY CENTRE

1.05pm Recital Hall £10 (£8) Hyungi Lee percussion

Our new £57 million home offers competitively priced venue and studio hire options in creative, contemporary surroundings.

Kazunori Miyake Chain Piazzolla arr. Pius Cheung Verano Porteno Korean traditional, arr. Hyungi Lee Arirang Paul Lansky Three Moves – III. Slide Matt Curlee The Endings of Things from a Distance Anna Ignatowitz-Gliñska Toccata Keiko Abe Variations on Japanese Children’s song JS Bach Goldberg Variations - Aria, variations 15, 18 & 21 Emmanuel Séjourné Attraction

Whatever it is, you’ll benefit not only from the facilities in our new Conservatoire, but also from the support and expertise of our dedicated events team.

We offer: • Performance and artistic hire • Conference and meeting room hire • Recording studios • Rehearsals, workshop, audition and performance exam space • Awards, drinks receptions, launches and special occasions

Hyungi will be performing exciting solo percussion repertoire from Korean traditional music to modern pieces with electronic backing tracks.

Our APD students are performers at the very highest levels of study who are already launching their professional careers.

Flat rental and commission-based rental packages are available.

Please call us on 0121 331 5909 to discuss your artist or event in more detail.

Alternatively, our prices are available upon request via conservatoireevents@bcu.ac.uk 4

BOOK NOW VIA WWW.BCU.AC.UK/CONCERTS OR 0121 331 5909

Free

Commuter

Orchestras

Guest artists

5

WED 5 FEB

THE ART OF PRACTISING 6pm Workshop 2 £5 This session, led by Pascal Nemirovski, is intended for young pianists and keen piano amateurs alike who need help with the organisation of their practice to help recognise, analyse and solve difficulties by identifying problem areas, rather than repetitive playing, aiding mental preparation for performance.

Pascal will show examples from repertoire including Bach, Chopin, Prokofiev and Scriabin, to put into practice best physical and psychological preparation; practice with an analysis and harmonic approach; development of a more secure technique, and memory and comprehension of the piece by a better use of the ears.

TUE 4 FEB

PUBLIC RESEARCH SEMINAR: PROFESSOR ROBERT ADLINGTON (UNIVERSITY OF HUDDERSFIELD) 3.30pm Workshop 2 £5 On the undemocratic – in music, and elsewhere "Since the Brexit referendum, the word ‘undemocratic has gained new prominence as a means to criticise the stance of political opponents. But what is meant by it? An analysis of the use of this word in current British political debate points to a truth long argued by political theorists: that democracy is an intrinsically contested category. This paper pursues the consequence of this thought for musical practices that have been envisaged in both ‘democratic’ and ‘undemocratic’ terms."

TUE 4 FEB

Robert Adlington holds the Queen’s Anniversary Prize Chair in Contemporary Music at the University of Huddersfield.

He has written books on the composers Harrison Birtwistle and Louis Andriessen, and on avant-garde music in 1960s Amsterdam, and published articles and book chapters on Luigi Nono, Luciano Berio, new music theatre, musical modernism, and musical temporality, amongst other subjects.

TUNDE JEGEDE 7.30pm Eastside Jazz Club £10 (£8) Tunde Jegede kora Programme features new works by RBC composition students: Kailan Barton-Porter, Millicent James, Yuqian Zhang, Adam Parry-Davies and works from Tunde Jegede’s repertoire.

Tunde Jegede’s work has changed the face of classical and contemporary music in Europe and Africa. He is one of the few composers in the world steeped in both Western Classical Music and the Griot tradition of West Africa.

This unique cultural inheritance informs his work as a composer and multi-instrumentalist, creating links between European classical music and that of Africa.

Tonight he performs a number of new pieces composed for him by musicians of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s composition department, as well as a selection of works from his own repertoire.

6

BOOK NOW VIA WWW.BCU.AC.UK/CONCERTS OR 0121 331 5909

Free

Commuter

Orchestras

Guest artists

WED 5 FEB

KUSS STRING QUARTET 1.45pm The Bradshaw Hall £10 (£8) Beethoven String Quartet Op.131 The trademark of the Kuss Quartet is their conceptbased programming. With common themes running throughout their programmes, they offer unique experiences to accustomed audiences and new listeners alike. Leader Jana Kuss and Oliver Wille have been playing side by side for over 25 years. Together with their long-standing colleagues William Coleman and Mikayel Hakhnazaryan, they seek to validate the eternal“muss es sein? ”of string quartet playing with their own brand of curiosity.

7

THU 6 FEB

RBC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PRE-CBSO SHOWCASE 1pm Symphony Hall Free admission Conductor Michael Seal Messiaen Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum Following last term’s exciting performance of Lutosławski’s Concerto for Orchestra, RBC’s Symphony Orchestra returns to Symphony Hall with music by another great 20th century composer, Olivier Messiaen.

Under Principal Guest Conductor Michael Seal, the Conservatoire’s wind, brass and percussion musicians take centre stage at this CBSO showcase concert in Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum. This monumental five-movement work was first performed in 1965; inspired by great cathedrals and the open air (and envisioned to be performed in both), Messiaen demonstrates through the piece his belief in the Resurrection.

FRI 7 FEB

COFFEE, CAKE & CADENZAS 1pm New Alexandra Theatre Free admission Risa Sekine violin Angela Monge-Alvarez cello Mika Inukai piano Debussy Piano Trio Rachmaninov Piano Trio To guarantee admission please book in advance.

Please note that the Piano Bar is not currently wheelchair accessible.

THU 6 FEB

NICOLA BENEDETTI: TCHAIKOVSKY 2.15pm Symphony Hall £13-£52 tickets available from www.thsh.co.uk Conductor Klaus Mäkelä Nicola Benedetti violin Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto Berlioz Symphonie fantastique

THU 6 FEB

NICOLA BENEDETTI VIOLIN MASTERCLASS

ROYAL PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY WITH NICKY SPENCE AND IAIN BURNSIDE 7pm Recital Hall Free admission

6pm The Bradshaw Hall

Nicky Spence tenor Iain Burnside piano

£5 “Nicola Benedetti is one of the most sought-after violinists of her generation. Her ability to captivate audiences with her innate musicianship and dynamic presence, coupled with her wide appeal as a high-profile advocate for classical music, has made her one of the most influential classical artists of today.”

Two outstanding artists come together to cast new light on how they make music. Tenor Nicky Spence and pianist Iain Burnside are both master storytellers, dedicated to revealing the timeless, human qualities in songs that are sometimes centuries old. Join them in the Recital Hall for a fresh, frank and revealing look at the journey that music takes from the score to the stage.

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire is delighted to welcome Nicola Benedetti to give a violin masterclass, sharing in our trailblazing passion for music education, carrying the torch for classical music in the 21st century.

This is a fantastic opportunity to witness one of the truly great musicians of her generation share her knowledge and experience with some of our finest young musicians.

8

FRI 7 FEB

BOOK NOW VIA WWW.BCU.AC.UK/CONCERTS OR 0121 331 5909

9

BEETHOVEN’S 32 SONATAS TUE 18 FEB 10am - 10pm The Bradshaw Hall Pay what you like. Tickets available on the door only.

FRI 7 FEB

Celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven, piano musicians of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire present the 32 Piano Sonatas chronologically in a single day. Catch our pianists at Ulverston Festival on 27 Mar and Chipping Campden Festival on 4 Mar.

BRASS BAND EXTRAVAGANZA! 7.30pm The Bradshaw Hall £10 (£8) £5 students Director Rhys Kerry Enjoy an evening of Brass Band music featuring Enderby Band and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s Brass Band.

The multi-award-winning Enderby Band perform pieces with a Strictly Come Dancing theme under the guidance of their Musical Director, Ryan Richards.

Under the directorship of Ian Porthouse and Tom Stoneman, RBC Band will play a programme from the Secret Story movements arranged by Jacob Wilhelm Larsen and will feature cornet soloist, Jack Hoof.

The concert concludes with both bands combining forces to play movements from Peter Grahams’ Windows of the World.

This promises to be a highly entertaining evening of brass band music at its best.

All profits from the evening will be used to support the charity MIND.

TUE 11 FEB

MILLENNIAL PERCUSSION: BRISK WIDOW 8pm Centrala, Digbeth

No.1 in F minor Op.2 No.1 Tse Fu No.2 in A Op.2 No.2 Naomi Pomorede No 3 in C Op.2 No.3 Carlos Alfonso No.4 in E flat Op.7 Killian Schola No.5 in C minor Op.10 No.1 Bai Yang No.6 in F Op.10 No.2 Tian Shun Lin No.7 in D Op.10 No.3 Ginevra Paniati No.8 in C minor Op.13 (Pathétique) Tanya Avchinnikova No.9 in E Op.14 No.1 Ella Lee No.10 in G Op.14 No.2 Zijing Chen No.11 in B flat Op.22 Yiyang Chen No.12 in A flat Op.26 Olivia Chew No.13 in E flat Op.27 No.1 Daisuke Yoshida No.14 in C sharp minor Op.27 No.2 (Moonlight) Dobromir Tsenov No.15 in D Op.28 (Pastoral) Pan Yicheng No.16 in G Op.31 No.1 Yen Lee

£5 including free drink Toby Kearney producer Katherine Tinker producer/piano Millennial Percussion Programme to include Andy Akiho to wALk Or ruN in wEst harlem Florent Ghys Big Dada Luke Harrison New Work Mirela Ivičević Scarlet Song Anna Meredith Brisk Widow Collaborating with RBC’s stage management department, this Millennial Percussion concert features Anna Meredith’s relentless duet Brisk Widow, written for 2 drum kits, 4 speakers and 4 spotlights alongside a new work by Royal Birmingham Conservatoire composer, Luke Harrison and the UK première of Florent Ghys’s amazing multimedia percussion quartet Big Dada.

10

BOOK NOW VIA WWW.BCU.AC.UK/CONCERTS OR 0121 331 5909

No.17 in D minor Op.31 No.2 (Tempest) Beth Haughan No.18 in E flat Op.31 No.3 Roman Kosyakov No.19 in G minor Op.49 No.1 Angela Moreno Belmar No.20 in G Op.49 No.2 Zoe Tan No.21 in C Op.53 (Waldstein) Dominika Mak No.22 in F Op.54 Maria Linares No.23 in F minor Op.57 (Appassionata) Connor Wilcox No.24 in F sharp Op.78 Petrina Phua No.25 in G Op.79 Yung-Li Chen No.26 in E flat Op.81a (Das Lebewohl) Mika Inukai No.27 in E minor Op.90 Brigitta Sveda No.28 in A Op.101 Domonkos Csabay No.29 in B flat Op.106 (Hammerklavier) Salome Chitaia No.30 in E Op.109 Natanel Grinshtein No.31 in A flat Op.110 Irina Chagunava No.32 in C minor Op.111 Orestis Magou

11

THU 20 FEB – SAT 22 FEB

SAT 22 FEB

BIRMINGHAM INTERNATIONAL RECORDER & EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL

MASTERCLASSES & WORKSHOPS OPEN RECORDER MASTERCLASSES

We are delighted to present the third Birmingham International Recorder and Early Music Festival. This unique event combines fantastic professional concerts, demonstrations and participatory events, plus an early music market.

9.30am-12.30pm

SAT 22 FEB

A chance for recorder soloists and ensembles of any age to perform and receive expert guidance with our tutors; Michelle Holloway, Annabel Knight and Chris Horton.

1pm Recital Hall

RENAISSANCE INSTRUMENT TASTER SESSIONS

£5

9.30am-4pm

Featuring items from invited ensembles including the Birmingham Schools’ Recorder Sinfonia, Chetham's School Recorder Ensemble and RBC musicians.

An opportunity to try out renaissance instruments including shawm, bagpipes, crumhorns, flute and viol with Emily Baines, Lizzie Gutteridge, Belinda Paul, Elizabeth Walker and Alison Kinder.

RECORDER YOUTH CONCERT

THU 20 FEB

FONTANELLA QUINTET: URBAN LOVE SONGS

FRI 21 FEB

ROBIN BIGWOOD: BACH'S GOLDBERG VARIATIONS

7pm Recital Hall

7pm Recital Hall

£10 (£8)

£10 (£8)

Enjoy an eclectic mix of beautiful music from ancient to modern times, celebrating the theme of love.

Bach’s ‘Goldberg’ Variations were long thought to be the night-time consolations of an insomniac duke… In fact, they’re Bach’s definitive statement on the theme and variations form, honouring similar works by his predecessors while exploring new and uncharted territories in style and musical design.

Includes music by Dowland, Holborne, Purcell, Gershwin, Pete McGarr and Radiohead.

POP-UP RECORDER ORCHESTRAS 2.30pm-4pm A chance to work on advanced recorder orchestra repertoire in detail or to play in a larger recorder group, with opportunities to try out bass recorders of different sizes.

For further details about grades and tutors, please visit www.bcu.ac.uk/recorderfest20

SAT 22 FEB

BLONDEL MEDIEVAL AND RENAISSANCE BAND: OF ALL THE BIRDS 6pm Recital Hall £10 (£8) The spirited early music trio Blondel, featuring Emily Baines, Lizzie Gutteridge and Belinda Paul, performs medieval and renaissance music on a colourful collection of shawms, bagpipes, curtals and recorders.

Celebrating the natural world and birds in particular, this programme reflects both the perfection of nature and the artistry of humans in imitating it.

12

BOOK NOW VIA WWW.BCU.AC.UK/CONCERTS OR 0121 331 5909

13

TUE 18 FEB

DECIBEL

FRI 21 FEB

SUN 23 FEB

SWAN LAKE DREAMS

7pm The Lab

NEXT CONTEMPORARY CHAMBER MUSIC CONCERT

£10 (£8)

8pm Eastside Jazz Club

From £17

Ed Bennett composer/artistic director/electronics Daniele Rosina conductor Mira Benjamin violin Neil McGovern saxophones Michelle Holloway recorders Maria Harron clarinets Martyn Sanderson trombone Paul Norman electric guitar Ben Markland bass Eliza McCarthy piano Damien Harron percussion

£5

Conductor Paul Murphy

Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (BCMG) and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (RBC) have joined forces to offer NEXT Music - Study Programme in Contemporary Music Performance, a new and unique 1-year training programme for music students and professional musicians looking for a career as performers of contemporary music.

RBC Symphony Orchestra in collaboration with Birmingham Royal Ballet

This handpicked ensemble of amazing musicians present a high energy programme ranging from wild and driving polyrhythmic workouts to delicate moments of stillness and quiet introspection featuring some of the most outstanding contemporary performers working in new music today.

Hear our second cohort of NEXT Musicians perform a programme of selected works from this and last century, by composers including Tristan Murail, Gerard Grisey and Edmund Finnis.

MON 24 FEB

YUXIN CHEN (VIOLA) 1.05pm Recital Hall Free admission

RBC is delighted to be working with Birmingham Royal Ballet on this exciting partnership, performing the music of Tchaikovsky with musicians from BRB and joining ballet students of all ages as they take to the Hippodrome stage for a performance of Swan Lake Dreams. In a fully-staged production, danced on the set of Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Swan Lake, these talented amateur dancers will share the stage with some of BRB’s world-class dancers who take on the leading roles of Odette/Odile, Siegfried and Von Rothbart.

Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Dreams projects have been running in Birmingham since 2017, with two outstanding performances (Cinderella Dreams and Sleeping Beauty Dreams) so far, but this is the first time they have been performed with live music, provided by RBC’s Symphony Orchestra.

In this special concert, Decibel present seven brand new works by Royal Birmingham Conservatoire composers. Expect the unexpected in this evening performance which is the culmination of a three day project working with the composers.

If you love ballet and appreciate the amazing depth of talent found in and around Birmingham and the West Midlands, don’t miss what will be an exciting and heart-warming performance.

"This is high-octane music that pounds away, demanding the listener’s attention" Classical Music Magazine (5 stars)

14

7pm Birmingham Hippodrome

BOOK NOW VIA WWW.BCU.AC.UK/CONCERTS OR 0121 331 5909

Free

Commuter

Orchestras

Guest artists

Yuxin Chen viola Jonathan French piano Bax Viola Sonata

MON 24 FEB

AWAKE SWEET LOVE 6pm The Bradshaw Hall £10 (£8) Conductor Elizabeth Pallett Priory Early Music Series Willow Burden soprano Rachel Barnard mezzo-soprano Jack Whiting tenor Teddy Woolgrove baritone Elizabeth Pallett lute A selection of songs from John Dowland’s First Book of Ayres 1597.

15

TUE 25 FEB

WED 26 FEB

ROBIN IRELAND (VIOLA)

ORCHESTRA OF THE SWAN IMMORTAL BELOVED

1.05pm The Bradshaw Hall £10 (£8)

2.30pm The Bradshaw Hall

Robin Ireland viola Edward Leung piano Bach Sonata No.1 for solo violin in G minor, transcribed for viola York Bowen Sonata No.1 in C minor for viola and piano

TUE 25 FEB

PUBLIC RESEARCH SEMINAR: DR CARRIE CHURNSIDE (ROYAL BIRMINGHAM CONSERVATOIRE) 3.30pm Workshop 2 £5 When The Composer is Also A Count: Patronage and Power Relationships in the Case of Pirro Albergati Dr Carrie Churnside speaker Count Pirro Albergati (1663–1735) played a substantial role in Bolognese musical life, both as a composer and a patron. Papers held in the Albergati Archive are revealing not only in terms of how he patronised others, but also how he sought recognition for his own works from one of the most important families in Europe: the Hapsburgs.

As such, it provides an interesting case study of the power relationships of patronage when the composer is also a count.

£18-£25 Conductor Jason Lai Lauren Zhang piano Schumann Genoveva, Overture Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5 Xiaoran Jiang New work (world première) Schumann Symphony No.2

THU 27 FEB

COMMUTER CONCERT BOGLÁRKA GYÖRGY (VIOLIN)

Lauren Zhang, winner of the BBC Young Musician of the Year 2018 and a student at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, makes her debut with OOTS in Beethoven’s 5th Piano Concerto.

6pm Recital Hall £10 (£8) Boglárka György violin Natanel Grinshtein piano

The ‘Emperor’ concerto represents the apex of Beethoven’s ‘heroic’ writing. There are plenty of stormy episodes and virtuoso passages for the piano but the balance between them and the tender moments is perfectly judged.

Schumann’s admiration of Beethoven went beyond mere words. In 1836 he composed his ‘Grande Sonate’ the proceeds from which were to have been used towards the construction of a monument dedicated to the great composer.

He began work on his 2nd symphony in 1845 but was severely hampered by his deteriorating health. It was eventually completed in 1847.

Beethoven Violin Sonata No.7 in C minor, Op.30, No.2 Fauré Violin Sonata No. 1 in A, Op.13 Wieniawski Polonaise brillante in D, Op.4 Hungarian violinist, Boglárka György made her concerto debut performing Bartók’s 2nd violin concerto with Savaria Symphony Orchestra. She is currently studying for the Advanced Postgraduate Diploma (APD) at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire with Wen Zhou Li. Boglárka is performing on a 1797 violin by Cuypers, kindly on loan from the Harrison-Frank Family Foundation.

1.30pm The Bradshaw Hall Pre-Concert Talk with Christopher Morley

Dr Carrie Churnside is Research Degrees Coordinator and Senior Lecturer in Music at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. After completing a PhD on Bolognese baroque sacred cantatas she then held a post-doctoral fellowship at the British School at Rome (2008–9). She has published on Italian baroque vocal music and music printing. She is a member of the Council of the Handel Institute and Director of RBC’s Forum for Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Music, who will be hosting the Biennial International Conference on Baroque Music in July 2020.

16

Orchestra of the Swan is Orchestra in Residence at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

They perform Rebel Rebel - Beethoven & Bowie on Wed 6 May and A Celebration of New Talent on Wed 10 June. A 20% discount is available when booking 3 or more concerts see website for details.

BOOK NOW VIA WWW.BCU.AC.UK/CONCERTS OR 0121 331 5909

17

FRI 28 FEB

SAT 29 FEB

6.30pm Organ Studio

12pm Library of Birmingham

Free admission

Free admission

Jed Hughes organ

Simonne Viljoen violin Qiujia Du violin Carla Mendoza viola Chian-Chian Hsu cello

BITE-SIZED BACH

Buxtehude Praeludium a-moll in A minor BuxWV 153 JS Bach Sonata III d-moll in D minor (Adagio e dolce and Vivace) BWV527 10 minutes or so of sublime Bach performed on the organ.

FRI 28 FEB

ALTERNATIVE ORCHESTRA 7pm The Bradshaw Hall £10 (£8)

CHAMBER MUSIC SATURDAYS

Haydn String Quartet in D major, Op.71 No.2

TUE 3 MAR

Yuzhe Wang violin Ana Stefanescu violin Yujie Wang viola Charlie Woodhouse cello

SOUNDS OF ARCHITECTURE 7.30pm Workshop 2

Haydn String Quartet Op.74, No.1

Free admission

Hear some of our best young musicians perform beautiful programmes completely free of charge in the Library of Birmingham. Children very welcome.

Producer Joshua Dowling Bloomsbury Quartet & Friends Eva de Vries violin Janell Yeo violin Rachel Maxey viola Felicity Smith cello

Conductor Daniele Rosina Featuring new works by Emily Abdy, Luke Harrison, Tristan Kersten, Alvin Ka Kwok and Lilian Lorraine-Smith The previous Alternative Orchestra was one of the first performances in The Bradshaw Hall when the new Conservatoire building opened in 2016 and following on from this, a similarly unusual group of instruments has been put together for a second iteration of the project. Five student composers are writing for an ensemble including lower strings and guitar, recorder and saxophones, brass and percussion and harp and keyboard. Come along and hear the fruits of their creative efforts!

Dowling Heydar Aliyev Centre Dowling The Jericho Triptych Dowling Lines Traced Reimagined

TUE 3 MAR

Join Joshua Dowling, the Bloomsbury Quartet and friends for an album launch event exploring the concept ‘Sounds of Architecture’.

DANIELA ROSSI 1.05pm Recital Hall £10 (£8) Tchaikovsky Arr. Dyens Barcarolle ‘June’ from ‘The Seasons’ Regondi Ten Etudes Jeffrey McFadden Fantasy on a Canadian Folk Song JS Bach Arr. Eduardo Isaac French Suite BWV 813 Regondi Air Varie No.1 Op.21

This concert features works for strings and electronics that take inspiration from the 21st century architectural style, ‘Parametricism’.

Daniela Rossi is an exciting classical guitarist from Argentina. Born in Bahía Blanca and currently based in Cambridge, Daniela regularly performs in Latin America, Europe and the UK in solo recitals, duets and small ensembles, for TV shows and radio.

“...a very rare combination of energy, expression and perfect technique” – Leo Brouwer, composer and guitarist

18

BOOK NOW VIA WWW.BCU.AC.UK/CONCERTS OR 0121 331 5909

Free

Commuter

Orchestras

Guest artists

19

TUE 3 MAR

PUBLIC RESEARCH SEMINAR: MUSIC EDUCATION DOUBLE-BILL Professor Martin Fautley & Dr Anthony Anderson (Birmingham City University) 3.30pm Workshop 2

Dr Anthony Anderson (Birmingham City University): Five reasons why music curriculum design is harder than you think Designing a curriculum can be one of the most challenging activities for a music teacher. Despite this, the processes and concepts which surround curriculum development in music are rarely discussed. This presentation will explore the dynamics of curriculum design, what we mean by it, and suggest some possible reasons why curriculum thinking requires cognitive hurdling.

This paper discusses how music education in England has largely ignored pupil voice. This study is framed against a background of a centralised National Curriculum, yet which facilitates freedom for teachers to teach wide varieties of content. This is undertaken using a thematic approach from recent studies of teachers’ pedagogic content materials, which show a preponderance of examination preparation. This is an examination which some 93% of the students involved will not actually take.

Dr Anthony Anderson is Research Assistant in Music Education in the Centre for the Study of Practice and Culture in Education at Birmingham City University. His research interests centre on music curriculum, musical learning and creativity. He teaches on PGCE Music and Masters Education programmes at the university and is a former secondary school music teacher. Anthony is external examiner for initial teacher education in secondary music at the University of Reading, and regularly presents at music teacher training events across the country.

1.45pm The Bradshaw Hall

7pm Recital Hall £10 (£8)

Timothy Ridout viola Yue Yu viola Samantha Oxborough mezzo-soprano RBC musicians Featuring chamber music by Hindemith including Des Todes Tod, Melancholie, Viola and Cello Duo, Meditation, Trauermusik, Frankenstein’s Monster Repertoire and Frog went a courting.

Since winning 1st prize in the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition in 2016, Timothy has gone on to perform widely internationally. Concerto engagements during the 2018/19 season include a residency with Baden-Baden Philharmonie and appearances with the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, Tonhalle Orchester Zurich, Orchestre de Lille, Camerata Salzburg and Philharmonia Orchestra.

Researchers from RBC’s Integra Lab present a selection of new and exciting works that combine interactive technologies with musical performance.

Spanning a broad range of genres, expect performances that examine ways in which technologies – new and old – can be used to generate, expose and explore musical ideas using novel and unconventional approaches.

Free

The Andrew Downes Performance Prize requires entrants to perform a programme of Andrew Downes’s music along, with that of other British composers born after 1949, as they compete to win an impressive cash prize and recital opportunity.

THU 5 MAR

EMULSION SINFONIETTA 7pm Organ Studio Trish Clowes sax Catriona McDermid bassoon Chris Montague electric guitar

INTEGRA LAB £10 (£8)

BOOK NOW VIA WWW.BCU.AC.UK/CONCERTS OR 0121 331 5909

Well-respected as a composer around the world and former Head of Composition at the Conservatoire (19902005), Andrew Downes’s music has been performed throughout the world, in many leading concert halls and cathedrals, and has been broadcast at home and abroad.

£10 (£8)

WED 4 MAR 7pm The Lab

Martin Fautley is a Professor of Education in HELS faculty at Birmingham City University. After many years as a classroom music teacher, he then undertook full-time doctoral research at Cambridge University, investigating teaching, learning, and assessment of classroom music making. He has authored ten books, including Assessment in Music Education, published by Oxford University Press, and has written and published over sixty journal articles, book chapters, and academic research papers on various aspects of music teaching and learning. He is co-editor of the British Journal of Music Education.

20

THE ANDREW DOWNES PERFORMANCE PRIZE

TIMOTHY RIDOUT (VIOLA) £10 (£8)

£5

Professor Martin Fautley (Birmingham City University): Valuing music knowledge in English School Curriculum and Assessment systems

WED 4 MAR

WED 4 MAR

Commuter

Orchestras

Guest artists

Emulsion Sinfonietta are an ensemble that create a meeting place for performers and composers interested in exploring the spaces between genre. Led by awardwinning composer and saxophonist Trish Clowes, this dynamic ensemble tonight present the results of a collaborative project between themselves and RBC's composers. Featuring world premières from Holly Gowland, Thomas Hughes, Yvana Martinez, Kai MoohanShotan, Matthew Parsons, Jude Radley and Tiago Sousa.

21

WED 4 – SAT 7 MAR

FRI 6 MAR

SPRING OPERA: THE ENCHANTED ISLAND

COFFEE, CAKE & CADENZAS

7pm The Engine Room, 19 Harford Street, Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham B19 3EB

1pm New Alexandra Theatre

£16 (£13)

Free admission

Conductor Paul Wingfield Director Jamie Hayes Musicians from the Vocal and Operatic Department, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

Saorsa Quartet Haydn Quartet in D minor Op.76 No.2 Mendelssohn String Quartet No.2 in A minor, Op.13

Join us for Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s baroque extravaganza, The Enchanted Island.

To guarantee admission please book in advance.

Please note that the Piano Bar is not currently wheelchair accessible.

A pasticcio opera devised by Jeremy Sams, The Enchanted Island is a colourful musical patchwork of arias and ensembles by Handel, Vivaldi, Rameau and many more. For the first time vocal students from RBC will be performing in The Engine Room, an old button factory in the Jewellery Quarter.

Come and hear well-known choruses like Zadok the Priest set against baroque rarities in this stunning new venue as characters from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream meet their match in familiar figures from The Tempest. A baroque romp!

FRI 6 MAR

THUMB ENSEMBLE WITH RBC THALLEIN ENSEMBLE

Although the venue will be heated we would recommend bringing suitable warm clothing.

THU 5 MAR

YCAT @ THE CONSERVATOIRE: BEN GOLDSCHEIDER (HORN)

7pm Recital Hall £10 (£8)

6pm Recital Hall

Conductor Dan Watson

£10 (£8)

Stuart Stevens Inner Ring Stuart Stevens All about and to a Female Artist

Ben Goldscheider horn Richard Uttley piano Jörg Widmann Air for Solo Horn Beethoven Horn Sonata in F, Op.17 Schumann Adagio and Allegro in A flat, Op.70 York Bowen Horn Sonata in E flat, Op.101 At the age of 18, Ben was a Concerto Finalist in BBC Young Musician Competition. Highlights since then include his debut at the BBC Proms, solo appearances with the Lucerne Symphony, Britten Sinfonia, Aurora, English Chamber, Hallé Orchestra, Manchester Camerata, the Prague Philharmonia and Sinfonie Orchester Berlin at the Berlin Philharmonie. In 2018 his debut album was released, and he was selected as a BBC Music Magazine Rising Star and Gramophone Magazine One to Watch.

All About and to a Female Artist is a highly engaging music-theatre work that combines the personal stories of a working-class heroine, Shelagh Delaney, with some of the most virtuosic music recently written. It is Stuart Stevens’s masterpiece, which he realised a few months before his sudden death in February 2016.

The work was written entirely using 31-tone equal temperament to create new harmony, melody and texture, immersive soundscapes mixed with dramatic speech producing a music-theatre-opera mix. This melodrama creates ordinary people’s lives, which is also an enduring legacy of Delaney’s ‘Kitchen Sink Realism’ writing style.

Pianist Richard Uttley has been recognised for his “musical intelligence and pristine facility” (International Record Review), “amazing decisiveness”, and “tumultuous performance” (Ivan Hewett, The Daily Telegraph) and has released three solo recital discs to critical acclaim.

22

BOOK NOW VIA WWW.BCU.AC.UK/CONCERTS OR 0121 331 5909

Free

Commuter

Orchestras

Guest artists

23

SUN 8 MAR

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY FESTIVAL 10am The Lab and Eastside Jazz Club £15 (£12) International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. Join us as we reflect on and celebrate diversity in the music industry. Exciting and thought-provoking events will include; live performances from RBC students alongside guest musicians, visual and sound installations, yoga and mindfulness classes, networking, female-led practical workshops, and panel discussions. All are welcome!

MON 9 MAR

“An equal world is an enabled world ” #EachForEqual

1.05pm Recital Hall

SWIFT TRIO (RECORDER) Free admission

MON 9 MAR

THSH/LEAMINGTON MUSIC/ SYLVIA CLEAVER CHAMBER MUSIC PRIZE

Eleanor Tomlinson, Helen Herbert, Kate Allsop recorders

£10 (£8)

Maarten Benschop Dichotomy Christopher Tye Sit Fast Fang Fang Morning Whispers Telemann Sonata No.1 for Three Flutes without Bass (Largo - Vivace) Nachum Heymn arr. Michael Wolpe Smell of the Apple

An exciting opportunity to hear the Conservatoire’s most outstanding students compete for our three prestigious prizes for solo musicians and chamber ensembles.

Swift is a trio who share an interest in exploring and advocating the diverse repertoire that exists for the recorder.

The prizes include a recital at Town Hall, Birmingham and Leamington Music. The competition will be jointly adjudicated by representatives from THSH and Leamington Music, alongside an independent adjudicator..

As well as music from the medieval, Renaissance and Baroque periods, Swift are also enthusiastic about contemporary music and have commissioned new works, recently premiering Dichotomy by Maarten Benschop. They are currently learning Morning Whispers, a piece written for the ensemble by composer Fang Fang.

5pm Recital Hall

TUE 10 MAR

TUE 10 MAR

11.05am Recital Hall

1.05pm Recital Hall

£10 (£8)

£10 (£8)

Phoebe Cheng double bass Ruohua LI double bass Ivonne Porras soprano Esther Abrami violin

Conductor Yannick Mayaud Ka Pek Ho double bass

BOTTESINI, FRANCK

ESHPAI, MARTIN

Bottesini Grand Duetto No.2 Bottesini Une bouche aimeé,Tutto che il Mondo Serra Piazzolla Five tangos for violin and bass This diverse programme shows the vital role of the bass in chamber music, collaborating with different instruments and voices will help the audience to understand the importance of bass other than orchestral role.

Eshpai Concerto for Double Bass and String Orchestra Martin Concerto No.1 for Double Bass Bottesini Elegy No.1 Why not expect to hear solo double bass? Classical composers rarely gave the double bass a chance to shine but here is a great opportunity to hear two exciting contemporary double bass concertos performed by APD student Ka Pek Ho. See if you will be in love with the warm and powerful sound of this magnificent instrument.

See both concerts for £12 (£10)

24

BOOK NOW VIA WWW.BCU.AC.UK/CONCERTS OR 0121 331 5909

Free

Commuter

Orchestras

Guest artists

25

TUE 10 MAR

PUBLIC RESEARCH SEMINAR: DOCTORAL RESEARCH DOUBLE BILL WILLIAM HUNT & BOBBIE-JANE GARDNER 3.30pm Workshop 2

PRE-CBSO CONCERT SHOWCASE 6pm Symphony Hall Free admission

£5 William Hunt

TUE 10 MAR

Bobbie-Jane Gardner

Olga Eckert violin Malfalda Galante violin Maria João Antunes viola Griffith Wadkin cello Beth Haughan piano Dvořák Piano Quintet in A

WED 11 MAR

BARTÓK AND BRUCKNER

PRIMROSE PIANO QUARTET

7.30pm Symphony Hall

1.45pm The Bradshaw Hall

£13 - £52 tickets available from www.thsh.co.uk

£10 (£8)

Conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla Piotr Anderszewski piano William Hunt: The rhetoric of verse singing in the pre-Restoration consort anthem

Bobbie-Jane Gardner: Collaborative Composition in a Hyperlocal Environment

Several English writers and poets in the period around 1600 refer to a closeness between the rhetorics of music and literature, some even identifying rhetorical figures which are common to both. In Germany, a major branch of music theory develops the idea, inspired by Luther and blossoming in the later 17th and 18th centuries, yet English composers and musicians are relatively silent on the subject. What might it all mean for performance of the great consort anthem repertoire today?

Bobbie-Jane Gardner discusses her PhD research project which examined the formation of a compositional and curatorial methodology drawing from socially engaged practice via the notion of ‘hyperlocal’ and site-specific working methods. for-Wards – a two-year citywide music programme celebrated Birmingham’s communities through the commissioning of ten composers, to co-create ten bespoke works with forty Birmingham-based community groups. The Vinyl Community Collaborative Composing Project involved collaborating with fellow vinyl aficionados inspired by arrangers of the 1960s.

William Hunt was a founder member of the viol consort Fretwork and plays violone and viols with several leading period music ensembles. He also directs Fretwork Editions, a specialist publisher of repertoire for viols. He has taught at a number of music conservatories and courses in the UK and presented papers at international conferences.

At Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, he is a doctoral researcher into the performance of the pre-Restoration consort anthem, with a particular focus on those of the little known Edmund Hooper.

26

Bobbie-Jane Gardner is a composer, arranger, producer and music workshop leader. Bobbie-Jane has received commissions from The Gospel Revisited Project, Uchenna Dance Co., Vocab Dance Co., mac arts, Punch Records, Vivid Projects, Spitalfields Music, Fierce Festival, Grand Union, Heart n Soul, and LSO Discovery. Her music has been performed extensively around the UK and broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

BOOK NOW VIA WWW.BCU.AC.UK/CONCERTS OR 0121 331 5909

Susanne Stanzeleit violin Dorothea Vogel viola Andrew Fuller cello John Thwaites piano

Bartók Piano Concerto No.3 Bruckner Symphony No.6

Formed in 2004, the Primrose Piano Quartet has established a reputation for superb performances and award-winning recordings. Alongside much loved repertoire of Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann, Schubert, Fauré and more, Primrose Piano Quartet have received acclaim for reviving unjustly neglected works by early 20th century British composers such as Dunhill, Quilter, Bax and Bridge. They have commissioned leading composers of our time, including the late Sir Peter Maxwell Davies whose piano quartet was written for them in 2008.

WED 11 MAR

#BIRMINGHAMNEWMUSIC 7pm Eastside Jazz Club £10 (£8) Frontiers presents a concert of new works by Royal Birmingham Conservatoire composers, featuring a wide range of styles utilising the flexible layout of the Lab in creative and inventive ways.

Free

Commuter

Orchestras

Guest artists

“The playing is selflessly beautiful… everything seems to be just right.” The Strad

27

THU 12 MAR

MON 16 MAR

MUSIC FROM THE AMERICAS 6pm Recital Hall

A ROMANIAN PILGRIM’S PROGRESS CANTATA

£10 (£8)

7.30pm The Bradshaw Hall

The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire's Guitar Department is delighted to be join forces with young talent from the Birmingham Schools Guitar Ensemble for this wonderfully colourful recital. The music ranges from Vivaldi to Rodrigo Y Gabriela and is directed by Nick Chamberlain and our own guitar tutors Mark Ashford and Mark Eden.

£10 (£8) Students and RBC staff £5 A life journey with John Bunyan – a musical journey...

The Evanghelic Choir and Orchestra joined with Emanuel University Chamber Choir from Romania, conducted by Elisei Stefanescu perform the Pilgrim’s Progress Cantata written by Dr Emanuel Balaceanu.

FRI 13 MAR

FAÇADE

7.30pm Eastside Jazz Club £12 (£10) £8 students The price of a ticket includes a complimentary glass of wine upon entry to the venue Director Aaron Kendall

WED 11 MAR

PERIOD KEYBOARD EXTRAVAGANZA 7pm Recital Hall Free admission An exceptionally unique concert performance highlighting the music of the Baroque, Classical and early Romantic masters on period keyboard instruments.

This event is presented by some of the most remarkably outstanding talents and stars at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire today. Performed on various harpsichords and Viennese fortepianos, it is a culmination of the Early Music Keyboard elective course initiative led by Sharona Joshua at RBC. It promises to create an enriching and enlightening experience through historical performance practice based interpretations, aided by the lofty and subtle sounds of these noble and rarely heard instruments of the Golden Age. 28

THU 12 MAR

IMPASTO A MUSICIAN’S SKETCHBOOK 6.30pm exhibition 7pm The Lab £12 (£10) £5 students Director Rebekkah Lycett

This evening’s performance presents a variety of vocal works with a cabaret setting from the twentieth century, the main work being Façade: An Entertainment followed by a collection of songs from composers such as Britten, Weill and Berlin. This performance is nothing but a funfilled evening for everyone to enjoy.

The Pilgrim’s Progress Cantata brings to life one of the most significant works from English literature.

The Cantata will be performed in Romanian, while the narrative part will be in English. There will be subtitles and programmes in both languages.

TUE 17 MAR

QUARTET FOR THE END OF TIME 1.05pm The Bradshaw Hall

MON 16 MAR

£10 (£5)

FRANÇAIX WIND TRIO

Director Flora McNicoll

1.05pm Recital Hall

Musicians from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire bring to you a very special lunchtime performance of Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time.

A colourful evening of collaborations between artists and musicians, made up of entirely new music from RBC Composition musicians, featuring Olivia Murphy, Joe Spinoza, Eire Lavery, Kunling Liu, Catherine Mole and more.

Free admission

This concert will explore the visual world of synaesthesia to understand what synesthetes can see when listening to music. An immersive experience that showcases new works for the saxophone and small ensembles, a gallery of artwork and studies that visually reflect the piece itself, and a live artist painting throughout the evening.

Françaix Divertissement for Oboe, Clarinet and Bassoon Arrieu Trio in C Azvedo Brasiliniheiro

BOOK NOW VIA WWW.BCU.AC.UK/CONCERTS OR 0121 331 5909

Composed in 2003 for narrator, soloists, choir and orchestra, the Pilgrim’s Progress Cantata consists of a musical version of the John Bunyan’s famous allegory being constituted from hymns and songs retrieved in the Romanian Evangelical Church repertory. In 2018 the cantata is orchestrally revised and some of the narrative sections get an orchestral accompaniment.

William Hammond clarinet Jacob Perkins oboe Dominic O'Sullivan bassoon

Free

Commuter

Orchestras

Guest artists

In 1942, Messiaen composed this iconic work whilst imprisoned at Görlitz Stalag VIIIA prison camp in WWII. Its première was given in the camp by Messiaen himself with three of his fellow inmates to an audience of guards and prisoners.

29

THU 19-FRI 20 MAR WED 18 MAR

LUKE DEANE 7pm The Lab £10 (£8)

and! is the no-holds-barred sequel to the smash hit time-travelling musical work In Hail co-created by Luke Deane and Ragnar Olafsson, featuring Christine Cornwell.

TUE 17 MAR

JIM MORAY 7pm Eastside Jazz Club £14 (£12) Jim Moray is amongst England’s best-loved folk musicians, taking traditional songs far beyond the borders of the folk scene. He is the winner of five BBC Folk Awards, and his albums can truly be said to have changed the way traditional music is presented. His seventh solo album The Outlander, released in October 2019, showcases a rawer, more intimate sound.

Jim is joined by Tom Moore one of the standout violinists of his generation, who draws on traditional, electronic and baroque music to forge a style of his own. He is also an in-demand producer and composer.

The sequel sees the team take on aspects of speeding up and slowing down in musical performance, eventually to both beautiful and disastrous effects.

FESTIVAL

THU 19 MAR

See www.punktbirmingham.uk for full programme.

This session explores 20th Century Solo Violin Chaconnes through various philosophical and scholarly lenses, from Heidegger's idea of symbol, to Bloom's argument on Poetic Influence, to Pascall's ideas on identification and characterisation of musical genres- with an aim to arrive at the immediate and full actuality of the works.

REMIX: STUDENTS FROM ROYAL BIRMINGHAM CONSERVATOIRE & UNIVERSITY OF AGDER 8.50pm The Lab

Shi Ling Chin violin

1.45pm The Bradshaw Hall

8pm Recital Hall

Over the last 15 years, Punkt has gained an international reputation as an exciting, progressive and musically inclusive festival. Thanks in part to the unique concept of the “live remix”, the annual pilgrimage to Kristiansand in Norway has become a regular fixture for adventurous music lovers.

£10 (£8)

CHACONNE: REIMAGINED

STILLEFELT WITH SPECIAL GUEST JAN BANG

£15 per day / £25 for festival

This collaboration between Punkt, UK-based artists and Birmingham City University present an exciting and rare opportunity to enjoy the Punkt experience outside of Norway. Artistic Directors Jan Bang and Erik Honoré present a programme combining Norwegian invention with British creativity throughout. This unique collaboration is sure to please die-hard Punkt fans, experimental music lovers and inquisitive minds alike.

WED 18 MAR

THU 19 MAR

Punkt Birmingham is supported by

TRISH CLOWES & LOUISE MCMONAGLE 9.30pm Recital Hall

REMIX: ERIK HONORÉ, EIVIND AARSET & ARVE HENRIKSEN 10.20pm The Lab

FRI 20 MAR

THALLEIN ENSEMBLE: MAJA SK RATKJE 8pm Recital Hall Thallein Ensemble, conducted by Jack Sheen, play music

by Maja SK Ratkje and RBC composers Oliver Mack, Katharina Wallace and George West

REMIX: ANDREW WOODHEAD & MARK SANDERS

“Clearly evokes the early folk revival spirit” Mojo

8.50pm The Lab

“Simple, warm and unfettered” The Guardian

THE HEIGHT OF THE REEDS

FRI 20 MAR

9.30pm Recital Hall

“The great songs make it a treasure” Folk Radio UK 30

BOOK NOW VIA WWW.BCU.AC.UK/CONCERTS OR 0121 331 5909

& TDE Promotions

REMIX: ANNIE MAHTANI AND CHRIS MAPP 10.20pm The Lab

FRI 20 MAR

SUN 22 MAR

7.30pm The Bradshaw Hall

5.30pm The Lab

PAN YICHENG (PIANO) RACHMANINOV SONATAS 1& 2

£8 (£5)

£10 (£8)

7pm The Bradshaw Hall

The Young Composers Project (YCP) supports the new generation of composers and creative music makers. YCP encourages young people to find their own musical voice by giving them the freedom to experiment in a creative and safe environment, producing startlingly wonderful effects.

£10 (£8)

SAXOLOGY

An exciting evening exploring the saxophone's chameleon-like ability, bringing together saxophonists of all ages and abilities.

Showcasing performances from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Saxophone Octet, Eastside Saxophone Quartet, RBC Duo, Band of the West Midlands Fire Service and young saxophonists from across Staffordshire and the West Midlands.

MON 23 MAR

YOUNG COMPOSERS PROJECT

A vast array of music will be explored, featuring a world première for Saxophone Octet by RBC composition musicians, along with works such as Pequeña Czarda, Children of Sanchez, Libertango, Arrival of the Queen of Sheba and selections from West Side Story.

Pan Yicheng piano Rachmaninoff Piano Sonata No.1 in D minor, Op.28 Rachmaninoff Piano Sonata No.2 in B flat minor, Op.36

This year the composers are exploring how 'classical music' can be brought into the 21st Century. All students have been writing for a professional string trio but have been using various methods to create something truly unique and different.

MON 23 MAR

LUNCHTIME ORGAN CONCERT – THOMAS TROTTER AND ROYAL BIRMINGHAM CONSERVATOIRE CHAMBER CHOIR 1pm Symphony Hall

TUE 24 MAR

£6 Tickets available from www.thsh.co.uk

SUN 22 MAR

BIRMINGHAM PHILHARMONIC CONCERTO PRIZE: CONCERTO 2020!

3pm The Bradshaw Hall £16 (£14), £6 under 16s, £35 family ticket.

Director Paul Spicer

KAPOOR-LEUNG DUO

Howells Hymn to St Cecilia Elgar Give unto the Lord Howells Requiem Kodaly Laudes Organi

1.05pm Recital Hall £10 (£8)

Under Paul Spicer’s direction, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir has emerged as an ensemble of international quality. When paired with “one of the foremost exponents of the organist’s art ” in Thomas Trotter, this concert should be something very special indeed.

Conductor Michael Lloyd Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra

Beethoven Violin Sonata No.7 in C minor, Op.30, No.2 Beach Romance for violin and piano, Op.23 Saint-Saëns Violin Sonata No.1 in D minor, Op.75 The winners of the inaugral Birmingham International Piano Chamber Music Competition in 2018 return to RBC before performing their Wigmore Hall debut in April 2020.

Edward Leung is an RBC Advanced Postgraduate Diploma student – a performer at the highest level of study, who is already launching a professional career.

An exciting afternoon concert featuring three of the Conservatoire’s top students playing their chosen concertos with a large symphony orchestra.

Accompanied by the Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra, under the experienced direction of conductor, Michael Lloyd, they will be competing for the coveted Birmingham Philharmonic Concerto Competition Trophy and cash prize, whilst starting out on their journeys as international concerto soloists.

The programme will be topped and tailed with a popular orchestral item and will be a delightful event.

As its Mother’s Day, why not treat Mum to a fun afternoon of inspirational music making!

32

BOOK NOW VIA WWW.BCU.AC.UK/CONCERTS OR 0121 331 5909

Free

Commuter

Orchestras

Guest artists

33

THU 26 MAR

FRI 27 MAR

SAT 28 MAR

6pm Recital Hall

6.30pm Organ Studio

12pm Library of Birmingham

£10 (£8)

Free admission

Free admission

Tim Lines clarinet Rose Redgrave viola Eliza McCarthy piano

Joshua Hughes organ

Françaix Wind Trio

Bach Trio II in C minor BWV 526

In tonight's event, three of this country's leading chamber musicians present the results of a collaborative project with RBC's composers.

Featuring world premières from Thea Deacon, Isabella Ennes, Eire Lavery, Barba Niranjan, Elina Sidharta, Aurora Sunn and Oren Velasquez Hirtens.

As a prelude to tonight’s Projects Orchestra concert, we invite you to a short performance in our Organ Studio of sublime music from one of the greatest composers of all time, Johann Sebastian Bach.

William Hammond clarinet Jacob Perkins oboe Dominic O'Sullivan bassoon

LINES, REDGRAVE, MCCARTHY TRIO

TUE 24 MAR

PERFORMING WITH TECHNOLOGY 6pm The Lab £10 (£8) Musicians from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s Postgraduate programme present a selection of new and exciting works that combine interactive technologies with musical performance. Spanning a broad range of genres, expect performances that examine ways in which technologies - new and old can be used to generate, expose and explore musical ideas using novel and unconventional approaches.

THU 26 MAR

ROYAL BIRMINGHAM CONSERVATOIRE CHAMBER CHOIR 7.30pm St Alban’s Church, Highgate Free admission, retiring collection Director Paul Spicer William Peart organ Joubert This is the gate of the Lord Howells Hymn to St Cecilia Patrick Gowers Viri Galilaei Elgar Give unto the Lord Howells Requiem Kodaly Laudes Organi

FRI 27 MAR

TZU-JO HUANG (PERCUSSION) WED 25 MAR

YCAT @ THE CONSERVATOIRE: CASTALIAN STRING QUARTET 1.45pm The Bradshaw Hall £10 (£8)

7pm Recital Hall £10 (£8) Tzu-Jo is one of our Advanced Postgraduate Diploma students. These are performers at the highest level of study, who are already launching their professional careers.

Schumann Quartet in A minor, Op. 41 No.1 Beethoven Quartet in E minor, Op. 59 No.2 Razumovsky 34

BOOK NOW VIA WWW.BCU.AC.UK/CONCERTS OR 0121 331 5909

BITE-SIZED BACH

CHAMBER MUSIC SATURDAYS

SAT 28 MAR

ROYAL BIRMINGHAM JUNIOR CONSERVATOIRE

FRI 27 MAR

PROJECTS ORCHESTRA

7pm The Bradshaw Hall

7pm The Bradshaw Hall

£8 (£6)

£15 (£10)

Talented young artists from our Junior Conservatoire present an engaging programme of music.

Conductor Daniele Rosina Tom Gant clarinet Tse Lin piano Charlotte Sleet soprano Nielsen Clarinet Concerto Ravel Piano Concerto in G Berio Folk Songs In this concert, four final-year students have an opportunity to perform a major piece of work with an orchestra of their peers.

Nielson was deeply troubled at the general state of the world in 1928 when he wrote this Clarinet Concerto and it is widely believed that this is the reason for the apparent 'war on tonality' between the keys of E and F major, which we can hear throughout the piece. Berio's Folk Songs contains eleven songs of various origins, two of which were set by Berio to anonymous texts in 1947 during his second year at the Milan Conservatory as part of his Tre canzoni popolari (Three Folk Songs).

Ravel offered the premiere and dedicated the Piano Concerto in G Major to Marguerite Long in 1932, who was known for her performances of the works of Faurè and Debussy. A few days after this highly successful premiere, both Ravel and Long started a tour of twenty cities in Europe, where the work was received with consistent enthusiasm.

Free

Commuter

Orchestras

Guest artists

Boult's Bar and Restaurant is located on level 0 with a range of mouthwatering hot and cold food for you to enjoy throughout the day and evening - equally perfect for you to enjoy before or after a concert or just when you are meeting up with friends. Also located here, the bar serves a range of quality wines, fizz, craft beers and fabulous cocktails.

35

OPEN DAY

THU 23 JAN

ROYAL BIRMINGHAM CONSERVATOIRE OPEN DAY 10am-4pm Our Open Day is designed for those considering taking a course at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and also for staff involved in the teaching of these students and advising them on higher education courses.

The day will consist of workshops and talks about Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s courses and life at the University.

For further information and a programme for the day, please see the website bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire/opendays or contact 0121 331 5901 or e-mail conservatoire@bcu.ac.uk

BOOK A MUSICIAN

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire is proud to boast a wide range of artists from prize-winning concert pianists to lively folk ensembles and jazz bands. Whatever the occasion, we have a portfolio of soloists and ensembles who are able to provide high quality live performance or background music, and who are experienced in performing at concerts and events in venues across the United Kingdom.

For further information, please contact: Lynsey Hopkinson, Director of Book A Musician bookamusician@bcu.ac.uk 0121 331 6902 36

BOOK NOW VIA WWW.BCU.AC.UK/CONCERTS OR 0121 331 5909

Birmingham City University

OUR SUPPORTERS

HOW TO FIND US

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire is extremely grateful for the generous support of all its donors, in particular the following individuals and organisations.

INDIVIDUAL DONORS

Helen Allen The Family and Friends of Margaret Asher Andrew Rackham Andrew Banks Margaret Beesley Dr Keith Bradshaw OBE DL Tony & Veronica Bridgewater Anita Davies Tony Davies & Darin Qualls Professor Andrew Downes Steve Elliott The Estate of Pauline Faulkner Elisabeth Fisher Jill Godsall Elisabeth Green David & Erica Hart Mark Hopton Gail Lawrence Betty Milne John Morris Marita Morrison John Gripton & Rosemary Phillips Richard Rathbone Jean & John D Smith Margaret Tait Professor Graham Upton Dame Gillian Weir DBE Jane Williams The Family and Friends of Gwyn Williams

FOUNDATIONS AND ORGANISATIONS

LEGACY FELLOWS

PRS Foundation Sophie’s Silver Lining Fund The Alan Edward Higgs Charity The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation The Aspinwall Educational Trust The Brooks Van Der Pump Charitable Trust The Carne Trust The Denis Matthews Memorial Trust Fund The DMC McDonald Foundation The EMI Foundation The Ernest Cook Trust The Fidelio Charitable Trust The George Cadbury Trust The Headley Trust The Karlsson Jåtiva Charitable Foundation The John Avins Trust The Leverhulme Trust The Michael Bishop Foundation The Music and Dance Scheme The Nicholas Boas Charitable Trust The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Association The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Trust The Schubert Ensemble Trust The Wolfson Foundation Universal Music UK Sound Foundation

Tony & Veronica Bridgewater John Gripton & Rosemary Phillips Marita Morrison Jeremy Patterson Richard Rathbone Jane Williams & Bob Walker

If you would like to support the work of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and its students, please contact Robin Leonard at robin.leonard@bcu.ac.uk or on 0121 331 5534.

Thank you for your support!

HOW TO FIND US

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire is situated at 200 Jennens Road, Birmingham B4 7XR, opposite Aston University and behind Millennium Point.

PARKING

There is a multi-storey car park owned and managed by Birmingham City Council situated adjacent to Millennium Point. The car park entrance is on Howe Street off Jennens Road. If you are using a sat nav please use the postcode B4 7AP.

BOOK NOW VIA WWW.BCU.AC.UK/CONCERTS OR 0121 331 5909

The 14, 55, 66 and 94 all go from Priory Queensway (B&M Bargains) and stop on Jennens Road. There is a stop almost opposite Royal Birmingham Conservatoire with a pedestrian crossing nearby.

ACCESSIBILITY

Wheelchair users are entitled to concessionary priced tickets with a complimentary companion seat. Guide Dogs are welcome at all Royal Birmingham Conservatoire venues.

If you wish to bring a guide dog or wheelchair, please let the Events Office know by calling 0121 331 5909.

PLEASE NOTE that listings are correct at time of going to print.

ROYAL BIRMINGHAM CONSERVAT OIRE AS SOCI AT ION Support the Musicians of Tomorrow - Join us Today Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Association is a voluntary organisation supporting the work of the students at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Our international membership consists of alumni, current and former members of staff, distinguished Honorary Members including the President of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Sir Simon Rattle OM CBE DUniv, parents, friends and all those wishing to support our objectives.

Our work includes the joint production with the Conservatoire of a twice-yearly promotional magazine Fanfare, financial support for the CBSO Learning and Participation Programme and to individual students for a variety of needs (such as instrumental purchase and repair, travelling and living expenses, and masterclasses), the annual Undergraduate Welcome and biennial Alumni and Staff Reunions.

38

BUS ROUTES

Membership is open to everyone who wishes to support the work of the students at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.

The students increasingly need your help in these days of global financial hardship. Please refer to our website www.bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire/bca to see the benefits offered to RBCA Members and join us online or by requesting an application form from RBCA Hon Secretary John Smith 0121 476 4741 / johnsmithhrs359@gmail.com

39