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The Planets: An HD Odysse... Birmingham International Concert Season 2010/11
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Fri 8 Oct 7:30pm Symphony Hall

'The images . . . were often astonishing. Photographs from rovers and satellites, radar images and computer-generated graphics were combined to give the audience the impression of circling individual planets and sometimes flying over their awesomely barren landscapes.' New York Times Holst’s _The Planets_ was inspired by his interest in astrology. Nearly one hundred years later he would have been astounded by the state-of-the-art, high definition images from NASA’s exploration of the solar system. For tonight’s European Premiere, Producer Duncan Copp has brought these images together with a commentary by the world’s leading planetary scientists, all projected on a large screen above the orchestra. Classic FM’s Anne-Marie Minhall, says of tonight’s recommended concert: “Classical music reaches for the stars in this unique project between the "Houston Symphony":http://www.houstonsymphony.org/ and NASA no less. Premiered in the Space Agency and Orchestra’s home city in January 2010, this will be your chance to watch some extraordinary images of our solar system alongside Holst’s astrological masterpiece”. Part of the "Sounds of Space":http://thsh.co.uk/soundsofspace weekend at Town hall and Symphony Hall.
*Houston Symphony* *Hans Graf* _conductor_ *Ladies of the City of Birmingham Choir*
*Stravinsky* _Fireworks_ 5’ *Adams* _Dr Atomic_ Symphony 25’ *Holst* _The Planets_ 65’ Sponsored by University of Birmingham.
Sounds of Space Family Da... Family event
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Sat 9 Oct 11:00am Symphony Hall Foyer Bars

Meet Aliens from planet Flip Flop, explore the Planetarium and help to create the Symphony Hall Solar System. Plus Lost in Space, the sounds of deep space as created by composer Pete Wyer, animateur Matthew Becket and children from Birmingham special schools, brought to Symphony Hall atrium from a galaxy far away by members of Orchestra of the Swan.
Supported by the George Cadbury Trust.
Space Tourism Talk by Stephen Attenborough
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Sat 9 Oct 11:00am Town Hall

Virgin Galactic’s Spaceship Two will carry the first paying passengers into space, marking the beginning of a new age of human expedition. Stephen Attenborough, Commercial Director of Virgin Galactic and a key player in realizing Richard Branson’s vision, is overseeing one of the most ambitious commercial technology projects in the world. Hop on board to hear more about the ultimate out-of-this-world experience, including the chance for questions!
Birmingham Icknield Male ... A Second Century of Song
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Sat 9 Oct 7:00pm Symphony Hall

A concert marking 110 years of Birmingham Icknield Male Voice Choir.
Massed Male Voice Choirs Special guests: *Sovereign Brass Band* *Rhian Lois Evans* _soprano_, winner of the Bryn Terfel Scholarship, and the Roland Jones prize at the National Eisteddfod
Brian Eno's Apollo: For A... Music by Brian Eno, Roger Eno and Daniel Lanois, Performed by Icebreaker and BJ Cole (Part of the Sounds of Space weekend)
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Sat 9 Oct 7:30pm Town Hall

As part of the THSH "Sounds of Space":http://thsh.co.uk/soundsofspace weekend we present a live arrangement of Brian Eno’s seminal album _Apollo_, performed with NASA footage. Eno, pioneer of ambient music, conceived it for Al Reinert’s 1989 documentary on the Apollo space missions, _For All Mankind_. He jokingly referred to it as an attempt to write ‘zero gravity country and western,’ since that was the astronauts’ preferred on-board listening and the long reverberations of the pedal steel guitar evoke the vast emptiness of space. Music from the album was also used in the movies _28 Days Later_, _Traffic_, and _Trainspotting_. The innovative Icebreaker ensemble and renowned pedal steel guitarist BJ Cole return the music to its original conception, matching the mesmerizing beauty and tranquil mystery of images of the moon and Earth and capturing the humour of the astronauts as they skitter about on the moon’s surface. '...with the blown-up, grainy NASA footage and Icebreaker’s diligent musicianship, this “weightlessness” becomes moving and sublime. Apollo’s moonstruck ambience has aged gracefully, and Lee’s spare, fiercely intelligent orchestration gave it the bloom of youth.' The Guardian ***** "Click here to watch a video of Icebreaker and B.J. Cole performing _Weightlessness_, part of Brian Eno's _Apollo_":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsXTxmoR8eo&feature=related *6.15pm Pre-concert talk: The Gift of Apollo* Between 1968 and 1972 twenty-four Americans flew to the Moon. What was arguably Mankind’s greatest achievement had taken over 400,000 engineers working round the clock for a decade to accomplish. Over forty years later the full significance of the endeavour is still being debated. As a prelude to the concert, space flight historian, writer and film-maker Dr Christopher Riley reflects on what the Moon landings meant and reminds us of the great legacy of Apollo.
Serenade for A Satellite
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Sat 9 Oct 9:00pm Town Hall

Birmingham Contemporary Music Group provide late-night entertainment inspired by space and time, blasting off with Wiegold’s brilliant interpretation of Bruno Maderna’s Serenade per un Satellite. Mysterium - a piece combining live improvisation and recordings from the first Earth-orbiting artificial satellite, Sputnik - and Constellations, a collection of three space-inspired movements by Param Vir, complete the programme.
*Birmingham Contemporary Music Group* *Peter Wiegold* _conductor_
*Bruno Maderna* _Serenade for a Satellite_ *Param Vir* _Constellations_ *Peter Wiegold* _Mysterium_ This performance lasts approximately 40 minutes.
Sunday Morning Coffee Con... ECHO Rising Stars Series
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Sun 10 Oct 11:00am Town Hall

Ticket includes a cup of coffee or tea, or a glass of sherry or orange juice or water.
Romany Wood An orchestral musical fantasy of children's voices
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Sun 10 Oct 3:15pm Town Hall

Please note that these events are being rescheduled due to unavoidable circumstances, and a new date for 2011 will be announced shortly. Existing ticket holders will be contacted and refunded.
Romany Wood An orchestral musical fantasy of children's voices
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Sun 10 Oct 6:00pm Town Hall

Please note that these events are being rescheduled due to unavoidable circumstances, and a new date for 2011 will be announced shortly. Existing ticket holders will be contacted and refunded.
Level 42 - The 30th Anniv... Plus special guests
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Sun 10 Oct 7:30pm Symphony Hall

Level 42 took the ‘80s by storm with their brand of jazz funk driven by Mark King’s trademark bass lines, and with their roots firmly set in the underground soul scene of the time they helped change the face of the music scene in Britain. Top 40 singles for the band include _Lessons in Love_, _Something About You_, _Leaving Me Now_, _Running in the Family_, and _Hot Water_. The line-up of Level 42 for this 30th Anniversary tour is: Mark King bass/vocals, Mike Lindup keys/vocals, Nathan King guitar/vocals and Sean Freeman sax/vocals.
*Mark King* _bass/vocals_ *Mike Lindup* _keys/vocals_ *Nathan King* _guitar/vocals_ *Sean Freeman* _sax/vocals_
BCMG 2010/11 Season Launc... BCMG Season 2010/11
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Sun 10 Oct 7:30pm Book through our ticket office for CBSO Centre
Naturally 7 With no support
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Mon 11 Oct 7:30pm Town Hall

Growing out of the a cappella tradition, Naturally 7 take the classic close-harmony style to stratospheric new highs. Mixing beat boxing, basslines and uncanny instrumental imitation with rap and hook-laden soul, pop and jazz, this New York group is in a league of its own. They come to Town Hall having supported Michael Bublé on his Crazy Love world tour. _'Naturally 7 have taken acappella singing to places it’s never been before. The rhythmic and harmonic richness they produce - using only their voices - is jaw-droppingly impressive, and their musicality is phenomenal. This is one of the must-see performances of all time.'_ Brian Eno _'Impressive_' The Sun _'Dazzling_' The Guardian For more details visit "Naturally 7"://naturallyseven.com
Ian Hunter & The Rant... plus support
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Tue 12 Oct 7:30pm Town Hall

Ian Hunter has produced a matchless repertoire of music combining homage, honesty and killer hooks. He was one of the toughest and most inventive writers of the early 70s, paving the way for punk rock with his thought provoking and gritty songs. As a solo performer he has also succeeded with an eclectic catalogue including classics such as _Once Bitten, Twice Shy_, _Cleveland Rocks_ and many more. For both his solo output and work with Mott The Hoople, he has been cited as a huge inspiration by numerous artists including The Clash, REM, Oasis, Blur and Primal Scream. 2009 saw the release of his thirteenth solo album, _Man Overboard_ and the long-awaited reunion Mott the Hoople, fronted by Hunter. *‘Hunter, dressed in skinny black jeans and a little black jacket, was in awesome shape. Lithe and cocky, he glided around the stage behind his huge shades, still the complete rock’n’roll star’* **** The Times
CBSO The Birmingham Mahle...
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Wed 13 Oct 7:30pm Symphony Hall

'The Symphony is like the world,' declared Gustav Mahler ' - it must embrace everything!' His huge Third Symphony doesn’t quite manage that - but it has a pretty good try. Beginning with a mighty horn call and ending with a wordless hymn to love, it's a vast, colourful panorama of the world according to Gustav Mahler: church bells, country dances, grand, echoing climaxes and the mother of all trombone solos! It’s a symphony like no other, and for this next instalment in the Birmingham Mahler Cycle, regular CBSO guest conductor Vassily Sinaisky has assembled a world-class team of performers, including the full CBSO, our famous choruses and operatic mezzo extraordinaire Susan Bickley. Prepare to be astonished. 6.15pm Pre-concert performance by the Birmingham Conservatoire Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Michael Seal. Part of "The Birmingham Mahler Cycle":http://www.thsh.co.uk/the-birmingham-mahler-cycle
*Vassily Sinaisky* _conductor_ *Susan Bickley* _mezzo_ *Ladies of the CBSO Chorus* *CBSO Youth Chorus*
*Mahler* Symphony No. 3 100’
Juan Martin Flamenco Ense...
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Thu 14 Oct 7:30pm Town Hall

Voted into the top flamenco guitarists in the world by US Guitar Player magazine, Juan Martín will perform his own compositions, supported by a line-up of fabulous flamenco dancers and singers direct from Spain including Raquel de Luna, Miguel Infante and Carlos Brias, all prize winning artists direct from Andalucia. "Watch a video of Juan Martin's Flamenco Dance Ensemble":http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzXzZiYicbQ "Visit Juan Martin's website":http://www.flamencovision.com

The performance will finish at approximately 9.30pm including one interval.
MacMillan Lunchtime Conce... Birmingham International Concert Season 2010/11
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Fri 15 Oct 1:00pm Town Hall

Four short pieces by MacMillan share a programme with a new work by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and Shostakovich’s mighty Piano Quintet. This is part of the James MacMillan Day, which also includes "MacMillan Conducts MacMillan and Beethoven":http://www.thsh.co.uk/view/macmillan-conducts-macmillan-and-beethoven at 7.30pm at Town Hall.
*Britten Sinfonia*
*James MacMillan* _For Max; 25 May 1967; Walfrid, on his arrival at the gates of Paradise; For Sally_ 12’ *Peter Maxwell Davies* New work 5’ *Shostakovich* Piano Quintet 34’
Centre Stage - Turina &am...
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Fri 15 Oct 1:10pm Book through our ticket office for CBSO Centre

*CBSO Players*
*Turina* Piano Trio No. 2 *Chopin* Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 8
MacMillan Conducts MacMil... Birmingham International Concert Season 2010/11
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Fri 15 Oct 7:30pm Town Hall

In this first of two ‘Composer Conducts’ concerts, James MacMillan premieres his Oboe Concerto with soloist Nicholas Daniel. It is heard alongside two pieces by composers who both struggled with ideas of revolution and change: Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony (an arrangement of his searing String Quartet No 8) and Beethoven’s sunny and genial Second Symphony. "James MacMillan blog":http://brittensinfonia.blogspot.com/2010/08/continuing-relationship-by-james.html "Click here to view a short film with Nicholas Daniel":http://vimeo.com/13802567 6.15pm Pre-concert conversation with James MacMillan. This is part of the James MacMillan Day, which also includes "MacMillan Lunchtime Concert":http://www.thsh.co.uk/view/macmillan-lunchtime-concert at 7.30pm at Town Hall.
*Britten Sinfonia* *James MacMillan* _conductor_ *Nicholas Daniel* _oboe_
*Shostakovich* Chamber Symphony 20’ *James MacMillan* Oboe Concerto (world premiere) c.20’ *Beethoven* Symphony No 2 34’
CBSO Benevolent Fund Conc...
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Fri 15 Oct 7:30pm Symphony Hall

It might be the world’s favourite violin concerto, but even if you already know and love it (and who doesn’t?), there’s always something appealingly fresh about Max Bruch’s First. And never more so than in the inspirational hands of the young Russian violinist Alina Pogostkina. But don’t take our word for it. Come and hear it for yourself, at the heart of this shamelessly entertaining programme. There’s also a rare chance to hear the gloriously beautiful bits of the _William Tell_ overture that didn’t feature in _The Lone Ranger_, plus the lilting dance-tunes and joyous trumpets of what is - hands down - Dvořák’s happiest symphony. And if that all sounds a bit too enjoyable, remember that all proceeds from this concert go to an excellent cause: the CBSO’s Benevolent Fund.
*Vassily Sinaisky* _conductor_ *Alina Pogostkina* _violin_
*Rossini* _William Tell_ - Overture 12’ *Bruch* Violin Concerto No. 1 26’ *Dvořák* Symphony No. 8 36’
Abram Wilson, Sing, Swing...
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Sat 16 Oct 11:00am Town Hall

A fun introduction to jazz from trumpeter Abram Wilson and his band that's guaranteed to get everyone singing and stomping! Perfect entertainment for families with children and young people aged 7-13 years, you'll be joining in with Abram and the band before you know it!
*Abram Wilson* _Trumpet_