First year students on the UK’s first Birmingham-focused music industries degree course have been given an introduction to the city’s vibrant music landscape to mark the beginning of the three-year programme.

Birmingham City University’s BA Music Industries course leader Matt Grimes and Dr Iain Taylor, along with lecturer Dr Asya Draganova, delivered a three-hour walking tour of the city centre – famed for its metal, pop, bhangra and grime heritage – helping the new cohort to familiarise themselves with venues, studios, retailers, history and people across the Digbeth, Southside and Westside areas.

Along the route, students were introduced to music industry professionals from Tiger Bam Communications, The MJR Group, Brum Radio and Birmingham Music Coalition, who shared advice and insights on the city’s music industry ecosystem.

The walking tour began at UB40 and Ed Sheeran hotspot The Eagle & Tun, taking in Minerva Works; Digbrew; The Ruin, Digbeth; Blotto Studio; The Custard Factory; Mama Roux’s; Quantum; The Mill, Digbeth; The Wagon and Horses, The Old Crown; The Crossing, Digbeth; O2 Institute, The Electric Cinema, The Crown, John Bright Street, Town Hall Birmingham, Symphony Hall Birmingham and ending at the former site of famed New Romantic venue The Rum Runner.

Matt Grimes, Degree leader in Music Industries at Birmingham City, said, “We’re delighted to be delivering a bespoke degree course built around the strengths of the vibrant music industries in Birmingham, which support up to 6,000 jobs and help generate up to £230million worth of income to the area.”

“We wanted to kick it off with a practical exploration of the city’s live music landscape covering everything from famed backstreet punk and metal haunts to one of the world’s best concert halls. At Birmingham School of Media we have decades of experience in delivering Music Industries-based education and research. We’ve drawn upon this to develop a contemporary and focused course that both draws on and contributes to the city’s rich and uniquely varied music industries.

“Birmingham’s oft-overlooked music scene is currently seeing a boost through the influx of new promoters, venues, festivals, investment and interest, supported by organisations like Birmingham Music Coalition helping to connect and empower those working in the sector. We have ambitions to grow the course alongside the rapidly expanding talent in the city-region. We want our graduates to remain in the city and continue contributing to Birmingham’s music scenes. Developing meaningful and productive relationships with music industries in this city will continue to support that.”

Up to 20 young people from across the country have enrolled on the hyper focussed BA Music Industries course which promises to put students at the heart of music in the UK, with coursework designed to equip them with the skills, knowledge, and experience, not just to work in, but to shape the music industries.

Over the next three years, these students will be getting to grips with the industry locally, working with a host of local organisations such as those mentioned above, while also keeping an eye firmly on the national music industries, working closely in partnership with UK Music, who represent the interests of the UK’s music industries nationally. Birmingham City University is a member of the UK Music Music Academic Partnership network, and has appointed Mulika Sannie, Vice President of Business Affairs at Kobalt Music, to the programme’s industry advisory board.

Graduates from the music industries offering at Birmingham City University have gone on to take up roles at Kobalt Music, PRS for Music, Resorts World Arena, Sony Music and Universal Music, as well as creating new programmes, curating new events and producing new music journalism and PR within and from the city itself.

Birmingham City University’s music output also includes composition, performance and research at the globally-acclaimed Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, music education teaching and research in the School of Education and Social Work, music technology and sound production at the School of Computing and Digital Technology, and the Popular Music Research Cluster at Birmingham School of Media.

The Chineke! Chamber Ensemble, Europe’s first majority Black & Ethnic Minority orchestra, will be performing a programme of quintets by Coleridge-Taylor and Schubert, as they display the astonishing maturity and virtuosity of the young composers.

Having performed in Birmingham before their founder and double bass player Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE spoke about their forthcoming visit.

She said: "Birmingham was among the first places outside London to embrace what Chineke! is trying to achieve and to invite us to play in the city. With our mission of ‘championing change and celebrating diversity in classical music’ we feel particularly drawn to Birmingham, the population of which is on the verge of becoming majority non-white, and we are thrilled to be performing in this prestigious series of concerts at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire."

One of the pieces they’re playing is by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, a late 19^th/early 20^th century mixed-race composer who lived in London and achieved considerable success.

Premiered in 1893, Coleridge-Taylor's charismatic four-movement quintet was written at the age of eighteen. The influence of his favourite composer, Dvorak, as well as Schubert, is evident in the inventive, melodic lines and rich tone colour of this Post-Romantic piece, demonstrating a remarkable self-assurance for one so young.

This is complimented by Schubert's innovative Trout Quintet composed in 1819 when he was just 22 years' old. The fourth movement features variations on his earlier Lied, Die Forelle and is scored for piano, violin, viola, cello and double bass rather than the more usual piano and string quartet configuration.

Founded in 2015, Chineke!'s mission is to champion change and celebrate diversity in classical music.

Chi-chi says: “My aim is to create a space where BME musicians can walk on stage and know that they belong, in every sense of the word. If even one BME child feels that their colour is getting in the way of their musical ambitions, then I hope to inspire them, give them a platform, and show them that music, of whatever kind, is for all people”.

The ensemble made its debut in 2017 in Manchester followed by concerts at Wigmore Hall, Cheltenham and Ryedale festivals in 2018. It has since performed at the Tonbridge Music Club, Wimbledon International Festival, Cambridge Music Festival, St George's Bristol, The Africa Center in New York, The Stables in Wavendon and Petworth Festival.

They are giving an hour-long lunchtime concert at The Bradshaw Hall (Royal Birmingham Conservatoire) on Tuesday, October 8.

After releasing his 17th album ‘I Wanna Thank Me’ earlier this year, rap superstar, Snoop Dogg, has announced details of his 2020 UK arena tour and his shows will see him joined by West Coast hip hop stars D12, Warren G, Tha Dogg Pound and Obie Trice – with Irish rap duo Versatile set to playing the opening sets at each of the concerts.

Snoop Dogg is one of the most successful rappers to emerge from the famed West Coast rap scene, which burst into life in the 90s and became one of the world’s most powerful cultural forces.

He released his Dr Dre-produced debut album Doggystyle in 1993, which shot straight to number one in the US charts and spawned some of his biggest hits to date, including Gin and Juice, as well as Who Am I? (What’s My Name?).

He recently  covered of Nick Cave’s ‘Red Right Hand’ in conjunction with the new season of BBC’s ‘Peaky Blinders’, which the song is the long-running theme tune of - which will go down well with an expected sell-out date at Birmingham Arena on April 16.

His other arena venues include: 3Arena in Dublin, the SSE Arena, Belfast,

Manchester Arena, Leeds’ First Direct Arena and the O2 in London.

Musical virtuoso Jools Holland and his distinguished Rhythm & Blues Orchestra return to Symphony Hall Birmingham this November, with additional special guests including Pauline Black and Arthur ‘Gaps’ Hendrickson from the legendary ska band The Selecter - with support from Adam Double.

Being on the road with a band he’s known for a long time, he said: “One of the things for us is, there are a lot of us, so you're never alone.

There used to be that advert for a cigarette called Strand, and the advert was 'You're never alone with a Strand.' And it was such a disaster because everybody thought 'Well, I don't want to be alone.' So they went out of business.

But it's a bit like 'You're never alone with a big band because wherever you are, there's always...if you arrive in a town, I see Bammi, because like me he studies the horses, going into a bookmaker's on the high street. There'll be somebody else coming out, you'll see.

“It's like we're alien spores that have been dropped in whatever town it is, and I recognize us as I'm coming into the town”.

For people who go to see him often, there is always a new element in his special guests, for which he says: “This year, we're having somebody who's worked with us before, but they bring out this great element of us, which is Selecter. Specifically, it's Pauline Black, the singer, and 'Gaps' Hendrickson, who works with Pauline, and they're perfect for us because they represent the British take on ska music, the 2 Tone thing”.

On adapting the guests' big hits for a big band, he said: “I wouldn't want to force things into a big band style for things that weren't going to work, so sometimes you have to play things in a different way.

“Most things you can take back to the piano, because I suppose 70 per cent of songs — I'm making up figures, there, everybody does it these days — anyway, a lot of songs were written on the piano, or keyboard”.

‘Tinkling the ivories’ is the musical virtuoso’s greatest thrill – thanks to his Nan’s piano. “Yes, my nan's piano was really an essential thing because it was in her front room, as people had in the 1930s”, he recalled. “It was a gift to her by her mother Britannia in 1937 and I would hear them at Christmas, when I was very small, all singing songs.

“Everybody had their own song that they'd sing at the piano, and it was also a pianola, so you would pedal away and the piano roll would go round, with Fats Waller playing 'Red Sails In The Sunset' coming out of it.  It was great and I got to learn songs early on. I say jazz music, like Bessie Smith or Jelly Roll Morton, things like that.

“Furthermore, my uncle, who was a young teenager when I was small, would play boogie-woogie piano on it, and from that, that really got me going and fired up and made me learn by ear what he was doing, and I learn the blues from day one.

My dad got me an Alba record player, and we could have a good listen to whatever records were out at the time. I think I had a Glenn Miller one, which got worn out, but the first proper LP I had was 'For Once In My Life' by Stevie Wonder, I liked that, and I think I had 'Lady Madonna,' the single, by The Beatles, because I tried to learn the piano part on it”. 

“Since, I played with B.B. King and Van Morrison - discovering since that what he showed me, the left hand that he showed me, was the same left hand, because I met and talked to people about this that Ray Charles was shown by an old man in his village, that Ringo Starr, strangely, learned, that I think Mark Knopfler knows it as well. All these people, the first bit of piano they learned, and Dr. John, very strange, they were all drawn to this one little riff.

I've been very lucky, both either on record where we recorded with George Harrison, or written with Dr John, or Dionne Warwick covered a song that San Brown and I wrote. I can't believe it sometimes, all this stuff that's happened”.

As part of his UK Tour, Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra will be at Symphony Hall, in Birmingham, on 29^th and 30th Nov 2019.

Drawing on over 200 years of romantic pop history, the innovative theatre company Blood of the Young take on Jane Austen’s unrivalled literary classic. The highly acclaimed Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) visits Birmingham Repertory Theatre.

Six young women have a story to tell. You might have seen them, emptying the chamber pots and sweeping ash from the grate; the overlooked and the undervalued making sure those above stairs find their happy ending. Of course, they’ve always been running the show after all ‘you can’t have a whirlwind romance without clean bedding’ - but tonight, the servants are also playing every part.

Men, money and microphones will be fought over in this loving all-female adaptation. Let the ruthless match-making begin.

Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) is adapted by writer-performer Isobel McArthur (Cyrano de Bergerac, National Theatre of Scotland). Talking about the show, she says: “It’s simply for anyone who enjoys a great night out full of colour, music and laughter. I’d encourage anybody put off by the associated stuffiness or frilly corsetry of the Austen legacy to give this a go - and I’d tell those who love Austen not to worry because we do, too. This is a deeply affectionate re-telling of her brilliant, enduring story.”

The Lyceum’s Artistic Director, David Greig, said: “Blood of the Young are a brilliant young voice of Scottish Theatre, and their below-stairs take on Pride and Prejudice is a pitch-perfect blend of reverent homage and mischievous send up. I could not be more delighted to be working with them to bring this show to out to our partner theatres across the UK.”

This irreverent production is brought to life by director Paul Brotherston, designer Ana Inés Jabares-Pita (The Lovely Bones, Birmingham Repertory Theatre) and movement director EJ Boyle (The Crown, Netflix).

Playing multiple characters in this rip-roaring all-female adaptation, Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) brings together an exceptional cast of six, including: Tori Burgess, Christina Gordon, Hannah Jarrett-Scott, Isobel McArthur and Meghan Tyler. They are joined by newcomer Felixe Forde making her professional debut.

Having first opened at Tron Theatre to an overwhelming audience response in Summer 2018, the production tours to UK venues over Autumn 2019 and Spring 2020.

Written by Isobel McArthur after Jane Austen and directed by Paul Brotherston, Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) - a co-production with Bristol Old Vic, Leeds Playhouse, Northern Stage, Nuffield Southampton Theatres and Oxford Playhouse - is at Birmingham Repertory Theatre from 15 October – 2 November.

Ahead of their show tonight at Birmingham Hippodrome, the Phoenix spoke with the founder of Ballet Black Cassa Pancho MBE and Ebony Thomas Junior Artist with Ballet Black who trained at Elmhurst.

How important is Ballet Black in promoting ballet to a completely different audience?

CP: Ballet Black has been important to the ecology of ballet in the UK as we have helped to develop a more inclusive and diverse audience. Placing dancers of black and Asian descent on stage encourages a very different audience to the “typical” ballet audience – in most of our performances, you will see a multiracial crowd of all ages. As well as diversity, our use of choreographers and music from a wide range of disciplines and genres means that as well as ballet lovers, we draw an audience that are attracted to many different art forms.

Have you got an inspirational story to share of someone who you have met during your time with Ballet Black?

ET: I think the company is full of truly inspirational stories and to be honest mine is probably the least inspirational! Each person in Ballet Black has had to fight in their own way to get where they are today and I think that creates a hard working, determined and willing culture within the company. However with all due respect, I wouldn’t feel comfortable telling someone else’s story as it wouldn’t be mine to tell. What I will say though is I think the company itself is an inspirational story. Cassa started this company from scratch and it has now been going for 18 years. From the very beginnings of the company to where we are now, in what is a relatively short period of time, I think is an incredible achievement.

How does it feel to be a role model for young aspiring black and Asian dancers?

ET: Honestly, a bit strange! A couple years ago as a student I wouldn’t have even dreamt about answering a question like that ever, let alone 2 years into my career! I think the role myself and the whole company play is very important and a big responsibility, especially with what the company's goals are. If you look at the percentage of white to non-white dancers in ballet there’s a big imbalance. You could bring up many reasons for this, however where better place to start than the beginning. The percentage imbalance is there in local dance schools and also fee paying schools. So to try and even that out we need to engage those who may not have been inspired previously because they haven’t seen many people like themselves on stage. When you can’t relate to those you see, as a young person, you become less interested in whatever you’re watching. So when children of ethnicity come and watch our shows they will see there is a route for them and hopefully we can slowly inspire more and more to start dancing.

How did you originally get into dance and ballet?

ET: The story of how I got into ballet is quite ironic actually. When I was younger I was very sporty. I played rugby, football and little bit of cricket too. When I was 5 my mum suggested I should do ballet as it would help with my coordination, balance and agility for the sports I play. My answer? “No, ballet is for girls!". She wasn’t very impressed with that answer at all. A few months later I had to stay at a friends house after school as both my parents were working late and my grandparents, who would normally collect me after school, were also busy. It just so happens that on that day, my friend had a ballet class that I would have to go along to. This was a surprise as I didn’t know he danced! I went along however and quite enjoyed it, so I joined the local dance school run by a wonderful woman called Lousie Jefferson who I still keep in touch with. Eventually my friend gave up and I carried on. Your parents are always right because it did help me with my sports, which eventually gave way as I pursued a career in ballet.

What can people expect from The Suit?

CP: The Suit was choreographed for BB by Cathy Marston in 2018, and is inspired by the 1963 novel by South African author, Can Themba. It focuses on a seemingly happy relationship between a husband and wife in Sophiatown in Johannesburg, and the terrible devastation caused when an affair is discovered. It has moments of beauty and fun, but is also very moving and tragic – it’s definitely one to bring tissues to!

For more information and to book tickets check out https://www.brb.org.uk/whats-on/event/autumn-2019-mixed-bill