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CBSO Festive Favourites w...

Sun 20 Dec 2009 3:00pm Symphony Hall

Join the CBSO for its traditional Christmas concerts, hosted by a British treasure - the broadcaster, novelist and gardener Alan Titchmarsh. The CBSO and its massed choirs provide the perfect way to get into the festive spirit and kick-start your holidays. These celebrations are overflowing with Christmas music and lots of your favourite carols for all to sing - and the icing on the cake will be Alan sharing a selection of Christmas stories and readings from his seasonal anthology _Fill My Stocking_. "www.cbso.co.uk":http://cbso.co.uk
*City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra* *Simon Halsey* _conductor_ *Alan Titchmarsh* _presenter_ *CBSO Chorus* *CBSO Youth Chorus* *CBSO Children's Chorus* *CBSO Young Voices in partnership with Birmingham Music Service* *CBSO Boys' Choir in partnership with Barclays Wealth*
Following each of these concerts, there will be a Christmas collection for a different local charity, as voted for by CBSO employees. To be considered for inclusion, please contact Eve Smith at the CBSO via email at esmith@cbso.co.uk
Christmas Celebrations City of Birmingham Choir

Sun 20 Dec 2009 2:30pm Town Hall

A fabulously festive concert to get you in the Christmas spirit. Brass band, children’s choir and carols to enjoy and sing along with. Happy Christmas!
*City of Birmingham Choir* *Heart of England Brass* *Adrian Lucas* _conductor_
Shakespeare and Schubert

Sat 19 Dec 2009 7:30pm Book through our ticket office for CBSO Centre

more details to follow shortly
Black Voices Christmas Co... with guest appearance by The Town Hall Gospel Choir

Sat 19 Dec 2009 7:30pm Town Hall

Hotfoot from their busy international schedule, Black Voices welcome friends old and new to their annual Christmas concert. Inspired by Sweet Honey in the Rock, Mahalia Jackson and Take Six, the UK’s foremost female unaccompanied group entertain and inspire with their fantastic renditions of gospel, spirituals, Caribbean to African, jazz and blues. They’re joined by special guests the Town Hall Gospel Choir, singing an uplifting and inspirational selection of Christmas music. Black Voices is a Town Hall Associate Artist
*Black Voices* with special guests *The Town Hall Gospel Choir* *Carol Pemberton* music director *Town Hall Gospel Choir* *Colin Anderson* choir director
Carols By Candlelight

Sat 19 Dec 2009 7:30pm Symphony Hall

Carols and seasonal classics performed by the UK’s most elegant ensemble in full period costume in a candle-lit style setting. Programme includes: *Corelli* Allegro and Pastorale from _Christmas Concerto_ *Bach* _Air_ on the G String *Mozart* Alleluia from _Exultate Jubilate_ *Pearsall* _In dulci jubilo_ *Cullen* _Joy to the World_ *Handel* Let the bright Seraphim, Zadok the Priest, Christmas sequence from _Messiah_ CAROLS FOR ALL including: O little town of Bethlehem Hark! the herald angels sing The first Nowell O come, all ye faithful While shepherds watched O come, O come Emmanuel
*Mozart Festival Orchestra* in full 18th Century costume *Canzonetta* choir *Gail Pearson* soprano *Gareth Hancock* conductor
Christmas Music by Candle...

Sat 19 Dec 2009 7:30pm Book through our ticket office for St Paul's Church

Please visit www.excathedra.co.uk for more information
Ex Cathedra Choir Conductor - Jeffrey Skidmore Organ - Andrew Fletcher
Sax in the City Featuring Andy Hamilton and the Blue Notes

Symphony Hall Foyer Bars

Relax with Birmingham's jazz legend, Andy Hamilton, as he brings you the finest in jazz together with his band The Blue Notes. _"Sumptuous, sensuous, gifted... Hamilton's sound is irresistable"_ The Guardian Saturday 6 June - 12.30pm - 3.30pm Saturday 4 July - 12.30pm - 3.30pm Satruday 5 September - 12.30pm - 3.30pm Saturday 3 October - 12.30pm - 3.30pm Saturday 7 November - 12.30pm - 3.30pm Saturday 19 December - 12.30pm - 3.30pm Supported by the Arts Council
The New York Voices with ...

Fri 18 Dec 2009 7:30pm Town Hall

The Grammy-winning quartet makes an exclusive UK appearance with the BBC Big Band. Expect the best in vocal jazz including _Sing Sing Sing, Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens, Orange Coloured Sky_ and seasonal favourites such as _The Christmas Song, Let it Snow, Santa Baby_ and _We Wish You a Merry Christmas!_
BBC Big Band New York Voices
White Christmas Star Soloists JACINTA WHYTE and MATT LITTLE

Fri 18 Dec 2009 7:30pm Symphony Hall

May your Christmas celebrations be magical, merry and bright with this wonderful show of nostalgic all-time favourites! _Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas_, _It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year_, _Let it Snow_, _Santa Baby_, _A Winter’s Tale_, _Nativity Carol_, _Jingle Bell Rock_, _White Christmas_, _The Christmas Song_, _Baby It’s Cold Outside_, _Sleigh Ride_, _I Wish it Could be Christmas Everyday_, _The Twelve Days of Christmas_, _Santa Claus is Coming to Town_, _The Holly and the Ivy_.
*Capital Voices* *London Concert Orchestra* *John Rigby* conductor
The Sub Ensemble

Fri 18 Dec 2009 5:30pm Symphony Hall Foyer Bars

The Sub Ensemble return to Rush Hour Blues
The Ukulele Orchestra of ... Christmas Special
Returns Only
Thu 17 Dec 2009 8:00pm Town Hall

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, seen and heard across the globe, is simultaneously provocative, entertaining and inspiring. Their shows combine music, humour and intelligence with silliness. Using a menagerie of voices and cheap instruments, The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain elicits emotion and thought in unexpected forms and successfully mix highbrow with lowbrow to appeal to an astonishingly broad audience: think Morecambe and Wise, explaining Joseph Beuys' desert island discs. Wherever The Ukulele Orchestra performs, from _Never Mind The Buzzcock’s Christmas Special, Jools Holland's Hootenanny_, to _Blue Peter_, to the smallest pub in England, they bring a hilarious style of music virtuoso that is all of their own.
Here Come the Girls Featuring Lulu, Chaka Khan & Anastacia

Thu 17 Dec 2009 7:45pm Symphony Hall

Here Comes the Girls is centred on the three superstar voices - Lulu, Anastacia and Chaka Khan - each with their own unique sense of style, humour and musical heritage. Celebrating all that it means to be a woman, the show mixes great music, laughter, tears, glamour, joy - and a bit of mischief for good measure.
*Lulu, Chaka Khan* and *Anastacia*
Centre Stage - Jonathan B...

Thu 17 Dec 2009 1:10pm Book through our ticket office for CBSO Centre

*Beethoven* Piano Trio in G, Op. 1 No 2
*CBSO Players* *Jonathan Biss* _piano_
*Beethoven* Piano Trio in G, Op. 1 No 2
Britten Sinfonia at Lunch

Thu 17 Dec 2009 1:00pm Town Hall

Britten Sinfonia’s concert focuses on the chamber music of pioneering composer Harrison Birtwistle. Much of Birtwistle’s music has been influenced by Medieval and Renaissance masters. In today’s performance you can hear the contrast of the contemporary against a work by either Bach or a composer of the Middle Ages.
*Jacqueline Shave, Miranda Dale* _violin_ *Martin Outram* _viola_ *Caroline Dearnley* _cello_ *Jaime Martin* _flute_ *Joy Farrall*_clarinet_ *Huw Watkins* _piano_ Helen Yates percussion
*Machaut* Hoquetus David *Harrison Birtwistle* Double Hocket *JS Bach* Art of Fugue Contrapunctus VII, XII and XVII *Harrison Birtwistle* Lied *Harrison Birtwistle* Verses *Christian Mason* New Work (world premiere tour) *Ockeghem* Ut heremita solus
Imelda May plus support by Pete Williams

Wed 16 Dec 2009 8:00pm Town Hall

Dublin-born Imelda May has the rare kind of raw talent and timeless glamour that truly illuminates the stage. You don’t just watch Imelda perform, you experience it. The rockabilly/blues singer has recently toured with Jeff Beck, appeared at Glastonbury and received acclaimed for album Love Tattoo.
CBSO Biss plays Mozart

Wed 16 Dec 2009 7:30pm Symphony Hall

This young American pianist has already built a formidable reputation for his accounts of classical and early romantic music; here he plays what Brendel calls _‘one of the greatest wonders of the world’_, a miraculous product of the 21-year old Mozart. Sibelius’s sweeping, passionate symphony has long been a Birmingham favourite, and Spano also introduces a work by one of the finest of the current amazing generation of Finnish composers.
*City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra* *Robert Spano* _conductor_ *Jonathan Biss* _piano_
*Tiensuu* _False Memories_ (UK premiere) 16’ *Mozart* Piano Concerto No 9, K.271 31’ *Sibelius* Symphony No 2 42’
Birmingham Community Foun...

Tue 15 Dec 2009 8:00pm Town Hall

Held in aid of the Birmingham Community Foundation, compered by broadcaster and journalist Adrian Goldberg and performed by the Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of conductor Richard Laing. The orchestra will perform a rich and inspiring classical repertoire to include carols such as Deck the Halls, Once in Royals David's City combined with traditional classical favourites such as Jerusalem and Pomp and Circumstance.
*Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra* *Richard Laing* conductor
David Gray Plus Special Guests

Tue 15 Dec 2009 7:30pm Symphony Hall

David Gray visits Symphony Hall to mark the release of _Draw the Line_, a new collection of songs showing the artist in a new revitalised light, hungry for more feeling. Highlights are aplenty including the lead single _Fugitive_. Don’t miss the chance to see him bring his songs to life in person.
Sing Carols with the City...

Mon 14 Dec 2009 1:00pm Town Hall

An annual favourite, this is a truly festive occasion in which you have the chance to sing your heart out with favourite carols, led by Thomas Trotter and Cambrian Brass.
*Thomas Trotter* _organ_ *Cambrian Brass* *Jeremy Nicholas* _compere_
Birmingham Music Service ...

Sun 13 Dec 2009 6:00pm Town Hall

More details to follow shortly