B:Music is the charity responsible for Town Hall and Symphony Hall in Birmingham. Each year we bring some of the world’s biggest stars to our stages and provide unforgettable experiences for thousands of audience members.
As well as being proud custodians of these iconic world-class venues, our mission is to inspire a passion for live music, ensuring that people of all ages and backgrounds have access to incredible musical experiences. Through our extensive community outreach and talent development programmes we offer hugely impactful opportunities to thousands of young people and adults every year, helping to bring diverse participants together and nurture the next generation of audiences and music makers.
Our Mission is to inspire a love of live music, through performance, participation and learning across Birmingham and beyond.
Welcome to our annual report for the financial year 2023-24.
This has been another strong year for B:Music with consistent performance across all our trading activities allowing us to once again generate a modest surplus. As custodians of two wonderful buildings B:Music has a duty to maintain them in great shape. Sustaining a healthy reserves position allows us to do this through our long-term maintenance planning, ensuring that our artists and audiences have the best possible experience in our halls.
Total audiences for the year are slightly up on 22-23 despite slightly fewer events. Other metrics tell an equally positive story with the number of free to access events and young people participating in our talent development programmes holding strong. A growing number of bursaries to enable participation in our programmes demonstrate our commitment to ensuring that economic means is not a barrier to participation. We are very grateful our hundreds of donors, patrons, sponsors and funders who give year-round support to enable such aspects of our work.
B:Music takes pride in an entrepreneurial approach to how we operate. A resilient financial position allows us to sustain what we do, maximise our engagement and plan our work. Away from the hard-boiled numbers though, the magic is in the music we make together, the artists we work with and the audiences that we welcome. Do read some of those stories in this report, and, on behalf of the B:Music team, we look forward to seeing you soon.
Anita Bhalla OBE Chair
As the proud Chair of B:Music it is a pleasure to be presenting this snapshot of our work over the 2023-24 financial year.
Symphony Hall and Town Hall are iconic buildings that sit at the heart of the region’s cultural life. We welcome almost half a million visitors each year, and artists from both around the corner and across the globe. We collaborate locally, nationally and internationally to ensure that music in the West Midlands continues to thrive, and we do so in increasingly difficult circumstances.
As music and the wider arts slip off the curriculum for all but the most well-resourced schools, our work in creating musical opportunities for young people is even more important. This ranges from supporting the very first musical encounters for primary age children to our various talent development programmes which nurture young people through playing in ensembles as their skills develop.
Despite our track record in generating most of our income through trading, we still rely on funds from trusts and foundations, individuals and corporate to sustain our most impactful work. I am so grateful to all the loyal donors who continue to support us and offer my thanks in anticipation of those supporting us for the first time. I hope that this report will encourage you to join us.
I would like to thank our amazing staff, our donors and funders, our communities and our audiences for helping us to change lives through music.
21 6 406 £20,800 500+ total performances free to access events international artists artists employed engagements with children and young people philanthropic income grant income received from local and national trusts and foundations total attendees community choir members took part in Community Spirit raised through our 'Gift of Music' Christmas Appeal talent development programme participants bursaries offered
Aspiring Music Leaders now employed
336 regular donors provided continuous support throughout the year
767 £386,960 £109,326 112 822 2000 450,255 11,000
Global Sounds:
Highlights from a year of music and live performance in Birmingham
PEACE
ROBERT PLANT
BONNIE RAITT
THEO KATZMAN
RHIANNON GIDDENS
JULIA DONALDSON
ZAKIR HUSSAIN
PHIL WANG
THE DAMNED
LANG LANG
JAY SHETTY
HEY DUGGEE
SOPHIE ELLIS-BEXTOR
JAMES: ORCHESTRAL TOUR
USHA UTHUP
DAMIAN LEWIS
RODRIGO Y GABRIELA
NOORAN SISTERS
RUSSELL HOWARD
MNOZIL BRASS
BABATUNDE ALESHE STEWART LEE
EDDIE IZZARD KATIE MELUA
FAR FROM SAINTS
JUSTIN HAYWARD GARY NUMAN
JOHN WILSON & SINFONIA OF LONDON
CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS
Birmingham Festival 2023
Next Track by Casey Bailey & Ashley Allen
In August, B:Music staged the closing performance of the Birmingham Festival 2023, marking one year since the Commonwealth Games in 2022.
people visited the festival with 85% from the Birmingham & West Midlands region 123.5k
This event continued the theme from the B:Music produced performance Beyond the Bricks of Brum at the Birmingham Festival 2022, where Casey Bailey took the artistic helm alongside Musical Director Jules Buckley. The performers from Beyond the Bricks of Brum transitioned into lead roles for Next Track, each selecting an emerging artist to collaborate with. The lead artists Agaama, John Bernard, and TrueMendous— invited PleasePrettyLea, Credo Kampeta, and Janel Antoneshia to the stage. The performance was further enriched by a talented band of local musicians assembled by Ashley Allen.
OVER 800 PERFORMERS, ARTISTS AND CREATIVES FOR THE FESTIVAL...
The concept of Next Track was to produce a performance based around three key themes:
Acceptance
Acknowledging the city as it currently is, and to ensure that everyone felt welcome and accepted to the performance.
Arrival
Documenting the various journeys of the artists to Birmingham, through their family heritage and stories, and to celebrate the strength of Birmingham as the welcoming migrant city it is.
Appreciation
A celebration of the city, the stories from the city, and an optimistic look to the future of the city through the eyes, words and sounds of musicians, poets and rappers.
To close the performance, Casey Bailey wrote and performed a brand new track called Next Track, which brought together all of the stories that were heard during the performance and supported that vision of looking forward to the future.
This project also gave some significant career-defining moments for those involved, including performing live with a band for the first time for Credo Kampeta and PleasePrettyLea, an opportunity for Casey Bailey to write a brand new track that reflected on influences from other artists, and for Ashley Allen to work as Musical Director for a key city-focussed event, working with new and emerging artists as a result.
"Thank you once again for everything, I really appreciated the opportunity to musically direct such a fantastic collective of artists. Looking forward to working again together in the future"
Ashley Allen
of local audience spend into the local economy during the festival £400k organisations helped put on the event over 10 days 185 of performances to match the 10 days of the Games in 2022 10 days
B:Music welcomed the Symphony Orchestra of India back to Symphony Hall for their second UK performance, following their debut in 2019. This performance was a highlight of the 2023/24 Birmingham Classical season. It also served as an opportunity for the organisation to explore aspects such as ticket pricing, audience development, and creating opportunities for the next generation of musical talent.
To make the concert more accessible, every ticket in the auditorium was priced at a flat rate of £10. Additionally, a marketing campaign was launched to ensure that the audience better reflected the diverse demographics of Birmingham, with a particular focus on engaging the South Asian community alongside the existing core audience of classical music fans.
In addition to the main concert, B:Music’s B:and Together Indian Classical ensemble from Nishkam School performed at a preconcert reception in the Justham Family and Jane How Rooms. This event was attended by tabla maestro and composer Zakir Hussain, who was also the featured soloist for that evening’s concert.
Ahead of the concert, staff collected survey data from ticket holders, asking questions
such as where they had heard about the event and what factors influenced their decision to attend. This was followed by a post-show survey to reach those who had not been able to respond on the night. The team was delighted with the response rate, with around 900 responses.
"Excellent
The feedback revealed that word of mouth was the primary way most attendees learned about the concert. The artist and programme were also the most important factors when purchasing tickets.
The main reasons for not attending more classical concerts included the cost and time constraints.
"I absolutely love coming here, great music, beautiful people, keep it up"
2023 marked 40 years for Thomas as Birmingham City Organist, so in recognition of his remarkable career, Klais & B:Music gifted Thomas with a commemorative organ pipe, on which was engraved: 'Presented by B:Music to Thomas Trotter To commemorate the 40th Anniversary as Birmingham City Organist. 6th October 2023 Symphony Hall, Birmingham'. For the 40 year anniversary concert at the beginning of October, Organist Cheryl Frances-Hoad was commissioned to write a piece for Thomas, which debuted on the night at Symphony Hall.
This Town Premiere March 2023
The premiere screening of This Town was held at Town Hall in March to great critical acclaim. Not only is it a story of working class Midlanders in the 80s, but a joyous exploration of how music gives a voice and identity to young people.
We last saw creative and writer Steven Knight at Town Hall when Peaky Binders Season 5 premiered at the venue in 2019 so we were delighted to be his first choice to showcase his new series.
Scan here to read more on the event
"It’s the heart of Birmingham"
Scan here to read more on the event
This Town writer Steven Knight on why he chose Town Hall for the This Town premiere.
"We believe that music is essential to everyone and has the power to transform and change lives, to entertain and uplift, to create shared experiences and to educate."
From April – December 2023, 26 Autistic and Neurodiverse young people in mainstream education were given the chance to take part in a 12-week course on DJing and Production. 100% of participants completed the course and each created their very own EP. Many also took part in a 5-day summer school in a professional recording studio. Sessions were designed and adapted to suit the specific needs of the participants, without any pressure to achieve grades or to pass or fail. A particular success was that several of the participants continued to engage with B:Music by progressing to our B:and Together Ensembles and Summer School.
Teachers were unanimous in their praise for project and its positive impact on pupils, including improvements in their mood and wellbeing.
“Thank you so much for a wonderful opportunity for our students. They have gotten so much from it. One of the students who was very disaffected with school, said it was the best thing about all of school and has since picked music as an option late on. All the others had a huge self-confidence boost and have improved their skills. It is brilliant to have a music project targeted at SEND students and free so that it was accessible for them. There was a great understanding about where they were at by the tutors and their needs were catered for brilliantly as a result. They felt safe, accepted and confident during the session and the tutors were outstanding throughout!”
This ground-breaking project funded by Landau and the All Age Autism Service, allowed us to experiment with new ways of working and has helped inform the development of future projects for young people with SEND.
Riley
B:Music scholarships aim to support the individuals by paying for ten one to one instrumental lessons, as well as tickets to performances in our venues that they may not normally have access to.
Awananyasha Riley Mamvura, was the first recipient of B:Music's Scholarship. This is a new development lead scheme for young musicians who have shown raw and exceptional talent on their instrument, but who may not have the financial means to develop their skills and achieve their potential.
In early 2023, Riley moved to the UK from Zimbabwe at age sixteen. The B:Music Team took the time to sit down with Riley to tell his story earlier this year. He detailed his journey with music, bringing the story back to his first mentor. “My dad has been the biggest part of my music life. He’s the one who mentors me, the one who leads me. He was the one who actually introduced me to B:Music’s Summer School.”
Riley recalls his first time visiting Symphony Hall. “I didn’t know places like this even existed. We were rehearsing in the big hall. That was the room we were doing our sessions in. I was in awe. It really gave me a bigger picture of what music is like,”
"That’s when I started to see what music can do. It’s a lifestyle. That’s what this place showed me. It showed me that music is more than just listening. It’s love. It’s appreciation. It’s communication. It’s learning. I thank God for the team at B:Music. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here right now. I wouldn’t have had this opportunity."
B:Music thank the WE Dunn Trust and the Brian Shaw Memorial Trust for supporting this year's scholarship.
B:Music have been proud to work with Jasmine Gardosi both before, and especially during, their tenure as Birmingham Poet Laureate 2022-2024.
From being introduced to the organisation by previous Poet Laureate, Casey Bailey, as part of a lockdown recording session in Symphony Hall, the journey with Jasmine has been one of mutual discovery, exploration and evolution. 2023 was no exception to that journey, with Jasmine kicking off the year with their phenomenal performance of ‘Dancing to Music You Hate’ in the Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space. Bringing together an open mic poetry night (backed by Jasmine’s band), followed by the full performance of the commission ‘Dancing to Music You Hate’ the sold-out performance was a huge success, and went on tour throughout 2023, ending up in Centenary Square as part of Birmingham Festival 2023. During the Summer months, B:Music commissioned Jasmine for two new works – the first was a choral commission for our flagship participation event, Community Spirit.
The second was a commission from B:Music as part of the World Blind Games which took place in Birmingham during August 2023. On behalf of B:Music, Jasmine spent a few days visiting different sports across the Games, interviewing athletes, families and supporters, and then wrote and performed a brand new poem at the closing ceremony which took place at the University of Birmingham. This new poem was a “gift to the world” from the organisers of the games and B:Music.
B:Eats continued to thrive in 2023, introducing new menu items, hosting more live music performances, and making its television debut.
Hairy Bikers
Dave Myers and Si King, the beloved Hairy Bikers entertained the UK for over two decades with their TV shows and cookbooks, selling more than 6 million copies. So, we were excited when they invited us to feature our signature Brummie Bacon Cake recipe in their Christmas special, The Hairy Bikers: Coming Home for Christmas.
B:Eats, our restaurant at Symphony Hall, is proud to be the home of the Brummie Bacon Cake. The origins of this savoury treat remain somewhat mysterious, with references dating back to the 1920s and anecdotal accounts from as early as the 1860s. Also known as Brummie Breakfast Cakes, the B:Music recipe is a secret blend of spices, flavours, and a touch of tomato ketchup and Worcestershire sauce. Head Chef Lee’s inspiration comes from his grandfather, who served as an army chef during World War II, preparing hearty and satisfying meals for the troops. Our modern take on Lee’s grandad’s recipe has been a menu favourite since we opened.
“It was such a special day for everyone involved, and we were honored to be part of this amazing programme. Dave, Si, and the crew were wonderful to work with, and the addition of festive music from the Pop Voices choir and our B:Music project participants really helped make the day unforgettable” said Lee, Head Chef.
The show aired on BBC Two on December 19th, earning praise from viewers and even being named the best Christmas TV moment of the year, with more than 1.2 million people tuning in.
Since opening, B:Eats has been committed to celebrating Birmingham’s culinary heritage, and 2023/24 saw the Brummie Bacon Cake become a standout favourite for Symphony Hall visitors. To further showcase Birmingham’s rich food traditions, we introduced a new dish to the menu in October 2023: Birmingham Soup. This hearty beef and vegetable broth, originally recorded in the notebook of industrialist Matthew Boulton in 1793 [whose statue sits outside Symphony Hall alongside James Watt and William Murdoch], is a piece of local history. Traditionally served with bread, we’ve paired it with our famous Brummie Bacon Cake for an even more satisfying meal. This new addition has quickly become another hit with both daytime guests and concertgoers alike.
B:Music raises the majority of income from concerts and events in the form of either ticket income or rental fees from our varied programme of events. This year reached over £12m, with 66% from those events.
Our combined trading income from bars, our B:Eats cafe and all our commercial hires generated £2.4m and all profits are gift aided back to the charity.
Other vital sources of income are our sponsors, trusts and foundations, and individual donors. Our individual donors give generously and demonstrate a personal connection to our venues whether as a donation with a ticket, a membership, a regular giver or a legacy.
We are proud to continue to receive grants from Birmingham City Council and Arts Council England to deliver our portfolio of objectives.
Each year we aim to hold sufficient free reserves to maintain Symphony Hall and Town Hall for future audiences and this year is no exception.
Expenditure on: Raising funds:
brought forward at 1 April 2023
Fund balances carried forward at 31 March 2024
Individuals
Corporate
Arts Council England
Trusts and Foundations
How we are Funded
Concerts & events Food
Birmingham City Council grant
Commercial Hires
Investments
With Thanks
Trusts and Foundations
Alan Woodfield Trust
Alchemy Foundation
Allan and Nesta Ferguson Trust
Angus Allnatt Charitable Foundation
Arts Council England
Backstage Trust
Blakemore Foundation
Bruce Wake Charitable Trust
Cole Charitable Trust
D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust
Daiwa Foundation
Dumbreck Charity
Edward and Dorothy Cadbury Trust
Edward Cadbury Charitable Trust
Eveson Charitable Trust
Foyle Foundation
GJW Turner Trust
GNC Trust
Garfield Weston Foundation
Geoff Hill Charitable Trust
George Cadbury Fund
George Fentham Birmingham Charity
George Henry Collins Charity
Golsoncott Foundation
Grantham Yorke Trust
Business Partners
The Grand Hotel
Q-Park
WMGC
Browne Jacobson
Solihull College and University Centre
Associate Artists and Partners
Birmingham Music Education Hub
CBSO
Ex Cathedra
Thomas Trotter
Black Voices
Grimmitt Trust
Heathcock Charitable Trust
John Feeney Charitable Trust
Joseph Hopkins and Henry James Sayer
Charities
Landau Limited
Lillie Johnson Charitable Trust
Limoges Trust
Lord Austin Trust
MK Rose Charitable Trust
Michael Marsh Charitable Trust
Mills and Reeve Charitable Trust
Oakley Charitable Trust
PRS Foundation
Patrick Trust
RVJ Cadbury Charitable Trust
Roger and Douglas Turner Charitable Trust
Roughley Trust
Rowlands Trust
Saintbury Trust
Thompson Family Charitable Trust
WED Charitable Trust
Westhill Endowment
William A Cadbury Trust
Corporate Patrons
PMP Consultants
Colmore Partners
NOYO – National Open Youth Orchestra
BACH – British Association of Concert Halls
ECHO – European Concert Hall Organisation
European Jazz Network
Midland Mencap
Makers Circle
Mr P Ashen, Jayne Cadbury MBE, Paul Carter, Paul & Dee Cocking, W. Peter Dunne, G. Cm. & Fionuala A. Dunne, Roger G. Guest, Dr Brian Gwynn, P & J Hall, Vivianne Hollinshead, Dr C G Johnston, The Justham Family, Lynn Lawrenson, James & Meg Martineau, Ian McAlpine, Ian C Norton, Jenna & Jeremy Plewes, Ald. Mike Poulter MBE & Mrs K Poulter, Pat Poynton, Mr I & Mrs G Reaves, Nick and Carole Reed, Graham Russell & Gloria Bates, Helen Russell, John & Pat Rutter, Gillian Shaw, Bryan Smith, Tony Smith, David & Lucy Stanley, Isabel Stewart, Mr A Taylor, Robert & Julia Verrion, Howard & Judy Vero, Dr D & Mr P Wardley, Alan Woodfield and other anonymous donors.
Patrons
Mr Leigh Astill, Helen E Bates, June & Graham Bentley, Anita Bhalla OBE, Mr & Mrs H Buckingham, Paul & Dee Cocking, Roger G. Guest, Mr & Mrs Martyn R Hale, Mr Peter How, Dr Johnston, Julia & Peter Maskell, Ian McAlpine, Mrs E Murray, Mr Robert Pockney, Graham Russell, Janette Rutter, Mr & Mrs G Tovell, Mr Neville Trumper, Mr & Mrs Verrion, Mr P & Mrs D Wardley and anonymous supporters.
From bucket collections at events to the support of sponsors, trusts and foundations, every penny counts to help us remove barriers and reach out to new audiences; empowering people from across the region and beyond to experience the joy and power of live music and to enrich the stages of the Town Hall and Symphony Hall.
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As a registered charity, we rely on your generous donations to enable us to immerse thousands of people in a world of music. With your help, we can do so much more.
To learn more about how to support us as an individual, a business or a Trust and Foundation please visit:
