CBSO IN THE CITY RETURNS, TAKING THE ORCHESTRA OUT OF THE CONCERT HALL AND INTO BIRMINGHAM’S TRAMS, SHOPPING CENTRES, STATION AND PUBLIC SPACES

-Free performances for thousands of residents and Symphony Hall tickets for just £1-

From Thursday 27 to Monday 31 August, CBSO in the City returns for its third year, with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra’s (CBSO) musicians performing for free to tens of thousands of residents across Birmingham.

The CBSO will fill the city with music, popping up in unexpected spaces and for anyone attending the performances at Birmingham’s iconic Bullring Shopping Centre, some will even get the chance to conduct the orchestra. Across the rest of the city, musicians appear in the spaces where Birmingham already gathers – including in libraries, gardens, museums, cafés and New Street station.

The week is a real world demonstration of the findings from the CBSO’s Birmingham Listening Project (full report published today), which found that music is an integral part pf people’s daily lives and that it lives beyond the concert hall – with Birmingham residents enjoying music when relaxing (68%), commuting to or from work (40%), at a social gathering with friends (37%), at work (27%) and when gaming (20%). And so, CBSO in the City sees Birmingham’s orchestra take the joy, drama and fun of orchestral music to people where they are and on their terms. 

The Listening Report chimes with proposals in DCMS’ recently published ‘Turn It Up’ plan – with both strongly rooted in the simple principle that music belongs to everyone, and that access to is vital for our communities. 

This year’s CBSO in the City highlights include:

●      New Street Station – the CBSO and CBSO Chorus take over the concourse on Friday afternoon;

●      Bullring – the full orchestra performs in the heart of the city centre;

●      Brindleyplace – saxophonist and CBSO Collaborative Artist Jess Gillam leads a mass “come and play” clarinet and saxophone event with over 60 participants ranging from age 12 to 89;

●      Birmingham Botanical Gardens – a wind ensemble performs in the gardens;

●      Touchwood Solihull – this year CBSO in the City makes its Solihull debut, with a brass group performing as part of Summer Sessions at the Beach in Theatre Square;

●      West Midlands Metro Tram – Music Director Kazuki Yamada will make his much-anticipated return to the CBSO tram;

●      The Exchange – a string quartet plays in the Banking Hall café alongside the University of Birmingham’s breathtaking Helios installation by British artist Luke Jerram;

●      Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery – a string quartet performance in ‘EVERY THING MUST GO’, a new exhibition by Joe Lycett (open from Wednesday 29 July);

●      Birmingham Library – family friendly performances across the week;

●      Digbeth – Infinite Opera, Grand Union & the CBSO present ‘Open for Business’ an ambitious community operatic performance unfolding across nine venues in Digbeth.

The performances at Birmingham New Street and Bullring form part of Birmingham Weekender – a free three-day festival which will span across the city with colourful installations, exhilarating performances and experiences from Saturday 29 August to Monday 31 August. Full details to be announced on Monday 27 July.

CBSO Music Director Kazuki Yamada will be returning to perform to anyone who happens to be on the CBSO branded tram on Saturday 29 August, as well as conducting the full orchestra at Birmingham’s Bullring on Bank Holiday Monday.

All public performances are free (except for admission fees for some venues) and, throughout the week, everyone that experiences a CBSO performance will be able to pick up a golden ticket – which means that for just £1, they will be able to book a CBSO concert during its 2026-27 Season.

Emma Stenning, CBSO Chief Executive, comments: “Birmingham is not a city waiting to be introduced to culture. It is already living it, in public spaces and on commutes, long before anyone walks through the doors of Symphony Hall. With CBSO in the City, our musicians spend a week in the places people already use and enjoy, creating surprise moments that feel personal, unexpected and rooted in the life of the city. We want people to feel that the CBSO is theirs, and this run of free public concerts is our gift to a city we are proud to call home.”

Kazuki Yamada, Music Director at the CBSO, said: “CBSO in the City is one of my favourite moments in the year. Having the chance to surprise people with music, to see how it brings happiness and joy, is so uplifting for all of us. The CBSO does that week in week out at Symphony Hall, and at our concerts around the world, but Birmingham is our home, and sometimes we just want to give a gift of music to everyone who lives, works or visits here. I can’t wait to play on the tram again, and to bring the full orchestra to the Bullring.”

CBSO in the City is made possible thanks to the generous support of NBB Waldrons and John Osborn.

Full details of all CBSO in the City events will be available at cbso.co.uk/cbso-in-the-city from 11am on Friday 24 July.