What's On — SymphonyHall events

Christmas Wishes with Hay...
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Sun 19 Dec 7:30pm Symphony Hall

Join award winning star singer Hayley Westenra and her guests for a very special Christmas concert full of her favourite carols and songs. Since Hayley’s first recording at the tender age of twelve her performances continue to charm audiences around the world. With special guest artist Rhydian Roberts.
*Hayley Westenra’s Band* *Tim Evans* _musical director_ *RAVEN* _string quartet_ *Edgbaston High School for Girls Junior Choir*
_The Little Road To Bethlehem_, _The Christmas Song_ (_Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire_), _Veni Veni Emmanuel_, _Silent Night_, _River_, _Corpus Christi Carol_, _Peace Shall Come_, _All With You_, _Ave Maria_, _O Holy Night_
CBSO Festive Favourites w...
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Tue 21 Dec 7:30pm Symphony Hall

Get your Christmas celebrations off to a suitably joyful start in the company of the CBSO and our family of choruses. Enjoy seasonal music from traditional favourites to some more unusual gems - and plenty of carols for all to sing. And to complete the perfect early Christmas present, we welcome back TV presenter, adventurer and superhuman rower Ben Fogle to share festive readings and stories.
*Simon Halsey* _conductor_ *Ben Fogle* _presenter_ *CBSO Choruses*
CBSO Festive Favourites w...
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Wed 22 Dec 3:00pm Symphony Hall

Get your Christmas celebrations off to a suitably joyful start in the company of the CBSO and our family of choruses. Enjoy seasonal music from traditional favourites to some more unusual gems - and plenty of carols for all to sing. And to complete the perfect early Christmas present, we welcome back TV presenter, adventurer and superhuman rower Ben Fogle to share festive readings and stories.
*Simon Halsey* _conductor_ *Ben Fogle* _presenter_ *CBSO Choruses*
CBSO Festive Favourites w...
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Wed 22 Dec 7:30pm Symphony Hall

Get your Christmas celebrations off to a suitably joyful start in the company of the CBSO and our family of choruses. Enjoy seasonal music from traditional favourites to some more unusual gems - and plenty of carols for all to sing. And to complete the perfect early Christmas present, we welcome back TV presenter, adventurer and superhuman rower Ben Fogle to share festive readings and stories.
*Simon Halsey* _conductor_ *Ben Fogle* _presenter_ *CBSO Choruses*
Christmas Carol Singalong
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Thu 23 Dec 7:30pm Symphony Hall

Clap your hands, stamp your feet and sing your heart out as Jonathan Cohen invites you to join in with carols and songs galore.
*Sophie-Louise Dann* _special guest singer_ *London Concert Chorus* *London Concert Orchestra*
_Jingle Bells_, _Let it Snow_, _Once In royal David’s city_, _Saviour’s Day_, _We Three Kings_, _Winter Wonderland_, _O come, all ye faithful_, _O Happy Day_, _Merry Christmas Everyone_, _Good King Wenceslas_, _O Holy Night_, _Silent Night_, _Santa Claus is coming to town_, _I wish it could be Christmas everyday_, _Hark! The herald angels sing_, _The First Nowell_, _Lord of the Dance_
Christmas Eve Classics
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Fri 24 Dec 3:00pm Symphony Hall

This concert of joyous seasonal and traditional music for all the family perfectly captures the true spirit of Christmas.
*Andrew Tortise* _tenor_ *Paul Beniston* _trumpet_ *Birmingham Choral Union* *Lichfield Cathedral Girls Choir* *David Hill* _conductor_ *London Concert Orchestra*
*Bach* Christmas Oratorio (Opening Chorus) _Sheep may safely graze_ *Handel* _Ombra mai fu_ from _Xerxes_ *Berlioz* _The Shepherds’ Farewell_ *Darke* _In the bleak midwinter_ *Franck* _Panis Angelicus_ *Adams* _The Holy City_ *Clarke* Trumpet Suite *Pearsall* _In dulci jubilo_ *Adam* _O Holy Night_ plus carols for all _God rest you merry, gentlemen_ _Hark! the herald angels sing_ _O come, all ye faithful_ _Good King Wenceslas_
Last Night of the Christm...
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Mon 27 Dec 7:30pm Symphony Hall

An unforgettable programme of rousing classics with a grand British finale!
*Camilla Roberts* _soprano_ *James Edwards* _tenor_ *Stephen Bell* _conductor_ *London Concert Orchestra*
*Rossini* _Thieving Magpie Overture_ *Sousa* _Liberty Bell March_ *Greig* _Morning_ and _In the Hall of the Moutain King_ *Mascagni* _Intermezzo_ from _Cavelleria Rusticana_ *Brahms* Hungarian Dance No. 5 *Di Capua* _O sole mio_ *Puccini* _O soave fanciulla_ *Verdi* _Brindisi_ from _La traviata_ *Tchaikovsky* _Nutcracker Suite_ And all your Proms favourites: _633 Squadron_ _Hornpipe_ _Rule, Britannia!_ _Nessun Dorma_ _Land of Hope and Glory_
The Four Seasons by Candl...
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Tue 28 Dec 3:00pm Symphony Hall

Exquisite 18th century classics performed in full period costume in an evocative candle-lit style setting
*Alexander Sitkovetsky* _violin_ *Martin Burgess* _violin_ *Ruby Hughes* _soprano_ *Crispian Steele-Perkins* _trumpet_ *Steven Devine* _conductor_
*Handel* _Arrival of the Queen of Sheba_, _Lascia ch’io pianga_ from _Rinaldo_, _Let the Bright Seraphim_ *Albinoni* _Adagio_ *Stanley* Trumpet Voluntary *Pachelbel* Canon *Clarke* Trumpet Suite *Bach* Concerto for two violins *Vivaldi* _The Four Seasons_
John Williams - The Great...
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Tue 28 Dec 7:30pm Symphony Hall

Epic themes from the most famous film scores of all time. Introduced by special guest presenter Paul Gambaccini.
*Paul Gambaccini* _presenter_ *John Rigby* _conductor_ *London Concert Orchestra*
Music from _E.T_, _J.F.K_, _Jaws_, _Star Wars_, _Superman_, _Far and Away_, _Harry Potter_, _Indiana Jones_, _Jurassic Park_, _Schindler's List_, _Close Encounters_, _Memoires of a Geisha_
The Sound of Musicals
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Wed 29 Dec 7:30pm Symphony Hall

Showstopping songs from the greatest Broadway and West End musicals. With special guest TV star Jessie Buckley, ‘Nancy Favourite’ from the BBC’s _I’d Do Anything_.
*Jessie Buckley* _special guest TV star_ and glittering stars from London’s West End: *Deborah Myers*, *James Graeme* and *Tim Howar* *David Shrubsole* _conductor_ *London Concert Orchestra*
Music from _The Lion King_, _Mamma Mia_, _High Society_, _The King & I_, _Oklahoma!_, _Cabaret_, _Oliver_, _My Fair Lady_, _South Pacific_, _West Side Story_, _Les Miserables_, _The Sound Of Music_, _Phantom Of The Opera_
Beethoven's Ninth
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Thu 30 Dec 7:30pm Symphony Hall

An unmissable all-Beethoven concert with the monumental ‘Choral Symphony’ and its climactic _Ode to Joy_.
*Christopher Warren-Green* _conductor_ *Catrin Aur* _soprano_ *Carolyn Dobbin* _mezzo_ *Jesús León* _tenor_ *Leigh Melrose* _bass_ *Sofya Gulyak* _piano_ First prize winner of 2009 Leeds International Piano Competition *City Of Birmingham Choir* *Royal Philharmonic Orchestra*
*Beethoven* Piano Concerto No. 5 _Emperor_ *Beethoven* Symphony No. 9 ‘Choral’
New Year's Eve Gala Matin...
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Fri 31 Dec 3:00pm Symphony Hall

Start your New Year’s revelry early with a superb concert of timeless classics to welcome in 2011.
*John Hudson* _tenor_ *Richard Morrison* _baritone_ *Anthony Inglis* _conductor_ *London Concert Orchestra*
*Suppe* _Light Cavalry Overture_ *Sousa* _Stars and Stripes_ *Elgar* _Nimrod_ *Tchaikovsky* _Swan Lake Finale_ *Strauss* _Blue Danube Waltz_ *Bizet* _Duet from Pearlfishers_ *Ravel* _Bolero_ *Denza* _Funiculi, funicula_
New Year's Eve Gala Eveni...
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Fri 31 Dec 9:30pm Symphony Hall

Start your New Year’s revelry early with a superb concert of timeless classics to welcome in 2011.
*John Hudson* _tenor_ *Richard Morrison* _baritone_ *Anthony Inglis* _conductor_ *London Concert Orchestra*
*Suppe* _Light Cavalry Overture_ *Sousa* _Stars and Stripes_ *Elgar* _Nimrod_ *Tchaikovsky* _Swan Lake Finale_ *Strauss* _Blue Danube Waltz_ *Bizet* _Duet from Pearlfishers_ *Ravel* _Bolero_ *Denza* _Funiculi, funicula_ And all your Proms favourites: _Rule! Britannia_, _Pomp and Circumstance_, _Land of Hope and Glory_, _Nessun Dorma_
Johann Strauss Gala
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Sat 1 Jan 2011 3:00pm Symphony Hall

*Waltzing into the romantic elegance of 19th Century Vienna* Waltz back in time to the glittering ballrooms of 19th Century Vienna with an enchanting mix of music, song and dance from the Strauss Family and Friends. “_Guaranteed to put a smile on your face and a spring in your step_” “_Musical escapism of the highest order_”
*Johann Strauss Orchestra* Directed from the violin in the traditional Viennese manner by *David Juritz* *Amy Freston* soprano *Johann Strauss Dancers* *Christopher Hampson* _Choreography & Staging_
_Tritsch Tratsch Polka_ _The Blue Danube Waltz_ _Emperor Waltz_ _Auf der Jagd_ _Pizzicato Polka_ _Radetzky March_ _Cuckoo Polka_ _Thunder and Lightning Polka_ _The Laughing Song_ from _Die Fledermaus_ _Tales from the Vienna Woods_
The Mikado
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Sat 1 Jan 2011 7:30pm Symphony Hall

Alistair McGowan leads an all-star cast of Savoyards in a semi-staged concert performance of Gilbert & Sullivan’s hilarious masterpiece. Set in the land of Titipu, poking delicious fun at politics and politicians, the bountiful score with its witty lyrics is full of toe-tapping greats.
*Alistair McGowan* _The Mikado_ *Oliver White* _Nanki-Poo_ *Richard Suart* _Ko-Ko_ *Bruce Graham* _Pooh-Bah_ *Giles Davies* _Pish-Tush_ *Rebecca Bottone* _Yum-Yum_ *Sophie-Louise Dann* _Pitti-Sing_ *Anna Lowe* _Peep-Bo_ *Jill Pert* _Katisha_ *Richard Balcombe* _conductor_ *London Concert Orchestra & Chorus*
*Gilbert & Sullivan* _The Mikado_ featuring: _Tit-Willow_ _I’ve Got A Little List_ _The Sun, Whose Rays_ _A Wand’ring Minstrel, I_ _Three Little Maids from School_ _Let the Punishment Fit the Crime_ _The Flowers That Bloom In the Spring_
Glenn Miller Orchestra
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Sun 2 Jan 2011 3:00pm Symphony Hall

Legendary bandleader Ray McVay swings into Birmingham to direct the UK’s most renowned big band for a nostalgic journey back to the forties with chart topping war time hits. The orchestra will perform the second half of the concert in the World War II uniforms of the US army Air Force.
*Glenn Miller Orchestra* *The Jiving Lindy Hoppers* _special guests_ *Jan Messeder* *Colin Anthony* *The Uptown Hall Gang* *The Moonlight Serenaders*
_633 Squadron_, _We'll Meet Again_, _Mr. Bojangles_, _That's Amore_, _Joy to the World_, _I've Got You Under My Skin_, _When You Wish Upon A Star_, _Kalamazoo_, _Little Brown Jus_, _String of Pearls_, _Pennsylvania 65,000_, _In the Mood_
CBSO Viennese New Year - ...
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Fri 7 Jan 2011 2:15pm Symphony Hall

As sweet as a slice of sachertorte, and as fizzy as champagne - it wouldn't be New Year without Johann Strauss and the music of Vienna! There'll be elegant waltzes, playful polkas, and a few sparkling surprises from our special guest, violinist Chloë Hanslip. So let the CBSO and conductor Roberto Minczuk whirl you back to a more glamorous age, as we raise a glass to the start of another great year of music. _Prosit!_
*Roberto Minczuk* _conductor_ *Chloë Hanslip* _violin_
Including: *Strauss* _On the Beautiful Blue Danube_, _Tales from the Vienna Woods_, _Champagne Polka_, _Long Live the Magyar!_, _By the Danube's Shores_, _Wiener Bonbons_, _Wiener Blut_, _Leichtes Blut_ *Léhar* _Zigeunerliebe Waltzes_, _Hungarian Fantasy_ for Violin and Orchestra *Kreisler* music for violin and orchestra
CBSO Viennese New Year
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Fri 7 Jan 2011 7:30pm Symphony Hall

As sweet as a slice of sachertorte, and as fizzy as champagne - it wouldn't be New Year without Johann Strauss and the music of Vienna! There'll be elegant waltzes, playful polkas, and a few sparkling surprises from our special guest, violinist Chloë Hanslip. So let the CBSO and conductor Roberto Minczuk whirl you back to a more glamorous age, as we raise a glass to the start of another great year of music. _Prosit!_
*Roberto Minczuk* _conductor_ *Chloë Hanslip* _violin_
Including: *Strauss* _On the Beautiful Blue Danube_, _Tales from the Vienna Woods_, _Champagne Polka_, _Long Live the Magyar!_, _By the Danube's Shores_, _Wiener Bonbons_, _Wiener Blut_, _Leichtes Blut_ *Léhar* _Zigeunerliebe Waltzes_, _Hungarian Fantasy_ for Violin and Orchestra *Kreisler* music for violin and orchestra
CBSO Nelsons conducts Str...
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Thu 13 Jan 2011 7:30pm Symphony Hall

Richard Strauss liked to blow his own trumpets... and his horns, trombones and tubas! So when he used a massive orchestra to tell the story of an imaginary hero, complete with enemies and battles (and a shamelessly explicit love scene), it’s not hard to work out who he actually had in mind: himself. But _Ein Heldenleben_ (A Hero’s Life) is more than just an irresistibly flamboyant musical self-portrait; it’s one of the all-time great orchestral showpieces. Andris Nelsons’s recent recording of _Ein Heldenleben_ with the CBSO won worldwide acclaim, with one critic declaring it 'one of the most sumptuous and refined ever put on to disc'. Don’t miss this chance to hear it live, or to hear the brilliant French cellist Gautier Capuçon in a very different musical autobiography: Shostakovich’s punchy First Cello Concerto.
*Andris Nelsons* _conductor_ *Gautier Capuçon* _cello_
*Beethoven* _Egmont_ Overture 8’ *Shostakovich* Cello Concerto No. 1 28’ *Strauss* _Ein Heldenleben_ 46’
CBSO Spring Symphony - Ma...
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Thu 27 Jan 2011 2:15pm Symphony Hall

It’s darkest January. But for one afternoon only at Symphony Hall, it’s spring! Schumann was head-over-heels in love when he wrote his _Spring_ symphony, and it burst through in the ringing fanfares and blossoming melodies of this joyous masterpiece. Estonian conductor Olari Elts tackles Beethoven’s irresistibly playful First Symphony - and then joins the CBSO’s popular principal Horn Elspeth Dutch in the young Richard Strauss’s First Concerto. Neither piece is “about” spring, but there’s no mistaking that swaggering joie de vivre. Add the swinging _Waltz Scene_ from Strauss's most playful opera, and you've got an afternoon of pure musical sunshine. This concert is followed by a Members’ Afternoon Tea, with Olari Elts as guest speaker. Contact Ellie Griffiths on 0121 616 6514.
*Olari Elts* _conductor_ *Elspeth Dutch* _horn_
*Beethoven* Symphony No. 1 25’ *Strauss* Horn Concerto No. 1 15’ *Strauss* _Waltz Scene_ from _Intermezzo_ 10’ *Schumann* Symphony No. 1 (_Spring_) 30’