In addition
to their BBC Proms performance, broadcast live on BBC Radio 3, Winner of the
2016 BBC Young Musician competition,
Sheku Kanneh-Mason and the acclaimed City of Birmingham
Symphony Orchestra’s Music Director, Mirga
Gražinytė-Tyla took a tour of Symphony Hall’s £13.2million
redevelopment last week.
Sheku made
chart history with his debut album, ‘Inspiration’, which was released last year
on Decca Classics and features his personal selection of music – from
Shostakovich’s ‘Cello Concerto No.1’ to Bob Marley’s ‘No Woman, No Cry’. It was
recorded in Birmingham and his hometown of Nottingham with the City of
Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) and Music Director Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla.
I recorded my debut album at Symphony Hall, Birmingham. I think their ambition to create a platform for talented local musicians to perform is a great one – as many artists as possible should have the opportunity to create and share music in this remarkable venue.
Sheku Kanneh-Mason
This is one of the greatest halls in the world and yet, so many people don’t have an idea it is there. I hope that this new entrance and the opening up of Symphony Hall to the city and the world will attract the attention it deserves.
Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla
The Making
an Entrance project is a major transformation of Symphony Hall’s public foyer
areas. In addition to a state-of-the-art foyer performance space for free and
low-cost activities, there will be dedicated spaces for learning and
participation projects, and a richer and more welcoming experience including an
enhanced food and beverage offer, refurbished toilets, additional disabled WCs
and a Space to Change facility.
Town Hall
Symphony Hall present a wide-ranging programme of music, comedy and spoken
word, and the £13.2 million project will mean that even more people can access
and enjoy this work.
Symphony Hall was created for Birmingham as the home of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. The redevelopment of our foyers will create spaces where communities can congregate, businesses can connect to the arts, and new ways of learning and participation through music can be developed.
Nick Reed, Chief Executive for Town Hall Symphony Hall
GBSLEP recognises the cultural and economic importance of music, which employs 2,000 across the LEP geography and accounts for over £250m of direct and indirect spend from music tourism across the West Midlands.
Tim Pile, Chair of Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership
