B:Music announce Beyond the Bricks of Brum at Symphony Hall

The concert is part of the six-month cultural festival associated with the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games

B:Music, the music charity responsible for Birmingham Symphony Hall and Town Hall, will host an incredible large-scale concert on Symphony Hall’s iconic stage on Friday 17 June, which will form part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival.

Birmingham’s Symphony Hall is widely considered to be one of the finest concert halls in the world, and Beyond the Bricks of Brum will feature over 100 musicians in this celebration of Birmingham’s music and spoken word scene, with some of the most exciting and talented performing artists from Birmingham being partnered with the distinctive BBC Symphony Orchestra, one of the country’s top orchestras.

Beyond the Bricks of Brum sits within the six-month festival shining a global spotlight on creativity in the West Midlands that runs alongside the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Under the baton of Principal Guest Conductor, Dalia Stasevska, and featuring arrangements and orchestrations by Jules Buckley, the BBC Symphony Orchestra will play brand new arrangements and compositions from the likes of internationally renowned a cappella quintet Black Voices, Birmingham Poet Laureate Casey Bailey and rapper and MC Sanity, plus other invited guest artists. This one-off performance will showcase the very best of Birmingham to the world, celebrating the city’s musical place in the Commonwealth and looking forward to the future of the music and spoken word scenes in the city.

The three lead artists, Casey Bailey, Sanity and Shereece Storrod of Black Voices, were asked to invite other local artists who they felt should also have the opportunity to have their work accompanied and arranged alongside the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Those four invited artists are: poet and rapper John Bernard, spoken-word poet Jasmine Gardosi (both invited by Casey Bailey), hip-hop artist TrueMendous (invited by Sanity), and singer and composer Agaama (invited by Shereece Storrod).

Nick Reed, Chief Executive of B:Music said, “B:Music is thrilled to be producing Beyond the Bricks of Brum as our flagship contribution to the Birmingham 2022 Festival. Commissioned specially for the Festival, this show brings together some of the most exciting, inspiring and melodic voices from across the region in a real celebration of home-grown talent. Using brand new arrangements, these voices will combine with the BBC Symphony Orchestra on the Symphony Hall stage to create something very special. From Birmingham with love, to the Commonwealth and beyond, this is sure to be a night to remember.”

Shereece Storrod, Artistic Director of B:Music Associate Artists Black Voices added, “Black Voices are delighted to be involved in this amazing concert, collaborating with some of Brum's finest talent and celebrating the variety of musical styles and art forms that this wonderful city has to offer. Where better to hold this extravaganza of singing, spoken word and live orchestra than at Symphony Hall? Prepare to be moved, challenged and to experience great talent in our home city.”

Poet and rapper John Bernard commented, "Over the years, Birmingham has welcomed me with open arms and a willing heart. The city held me up through university, my first 'proper' job after my studies, and has ultimately been a place of cultivation for me. It is an honour to be included in the celebrations ahead of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and to perform alongside the BBC Symphony Orchestra and our incredible home-grown artists. The audience can expect to be inspired, to be informed and to celebrate the city that is home to so many wonderful individuals".

As a legacy to the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, B:Music have also named a seat in Symphony Hall after the international multi-sport event. Row B, seat 22 in the stalls left terrace will honour the Games’ part in demonstrating the very best of Birmingham to the world and showcasing the region's strengths.

Nick Reed, Chief Executive of B:Music said, “We are delighted to mark the arrival of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games in the city by gifting a seat plaque in Symphony Hall. Birmingham 2022 has really captured the imagination of the city and is sure to have a positive impact within the arts and cultural community in the West Midlands.”

B:Music’s Name a Seat campaign enables donors to dedicate a seat to their favourite musicians and performances or to remember a loved one. Donations to the scheme support B:Music’s Learning and Participation programme, which creates musical opportunities and experiences for over 18,000 young people and adults each year, often from the local ward of Ladywood – one of the most deprived areas of the United Kingdom.