This week, CBSO in the City has turned Birmingham into a public stage, with free performances erupting across trams, canal boats, gardens, galleries – and the orchestra’s heartfelt live tribute to Ozzy Osbourne at New Street Station last Wednesday.
Today the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) is turning up the volume on accessibility and community connection with two further announcements: a £1 ticket offer for its 2025-26 season, and a chance for local residents to nominate their street for a one-off live performance from CBSO musicians.
Both initiatives aim to tackle head-on the barriers that prevent people engaging with live orchestral music – cost, confidence, and geography. The £1 ticket offer is open to anyone in with a West Midlands postcode who attends a CBSO in the City event. At any of the performances, people can collect a flyer with a booking code. Then, on Tuesday 29 July, between 10am and 8pm, these codes can be used to book tickets online for a concert for the new CBSO season for just £1, an experience that costs less than a coffee.
But it’s not just about getting people into the concert hall, it’s also about bringing the music to them. As part of CBSO’s commitment to embedding orchestral music into daily life, the orchestra is inviting people across Birmingham to nominate their street to host a special one-off CBSO street performance later this year. Whether it’s a close-knit neighbourhood, a community in need of a lift, or simply a group of residents ready to embrace the unexpected – one lucky street will be selected for an unforgettable live performance from CBSO musicians, completely free. Nominations are now open and close on Friday 1 August.
CBSO Chief Executive Emma Stenning said:“Birmingham is a musical city with people hungry for great experiences, but we know there are still barriers. That’s why we’re not just inviting people to us, we’re going to them. Whether it’s through £1 tickets or street-side serenades, we want every person in the West Midlands to feel that orchestral music is for them.”
“The public response so far to our week of free concerts around the city has been so positive and these two new initiatives will keep the spirit of excitement and togetherness rolling well into the autumn months. We still have plenty coming up over the next three days, before we close CBSO in the City where it started – at New Street Station next Monday. CBSO in the City is ultimately about celebrating our sense of home, and music’s enduring power to bring us all together as a community.”
Further information on
£1 tickets for the West Midlands – cbso.co.uk/1-pound-tickets
Nominate your street – cbso.co.uk/cbso-in-the-city
Remaining performances for this year’s CBSO in the City:
Friday 25th July
· String quartet at the Library of Birmingham – 2.30pm: featuring Sitarist and composer, Tommy Khosla.
· A woodwind quintet at Birmingham Botanical Gardens – 2.30pm: the combination of music and location inspiring positive wellbeing.
Saturday 26th July
· The canal boat performance – 12.30pm. Follow a moving performance starting from the Roundhouse, as CBSO Principal Harpist, Katherine Thomas, delivers a performance aboard a 1930s Heritage Working canal boat.
Monday 28th July
· CBSO return to New Street station – 1:00pm and 3:00pm: The conclusion of ‘CBSO in the City’ will see the orchestra’s return to New Street station. Passers-by will be invited to conduct the live orchestra.