In a vision statement published today, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra’s new leadership announced plans for an exciting 18-month period of exploration and testing, in search of opportunities to develop the orchestral experience in ways that could be truly welcoming to wider audiences.

The vision is published in draft form as a call to action for the orchestra, and also a call to response from loyal and future audiences, with whom the CBSO hopes to build a pioneering future for orchestral music in Birmingham.

Building on the CBSO’s international reputation for boldness, innovation, and quality, the plan is to deepen the orchestra’s connection to its city home by openly engaging with musicians, spaces, and communities from across the region, whilst exploring the future live form of a concert experience in collaboration with artists who will offer new perspectives on the performance of symphonic music.

As part of this process, Tom Morris, director, writer, producer, and creator of The Bristol Proms at Bristol Old Vic, where he worked with Emma Stenning, has been appointed as Theatre Director in Residence to oversee a series of changes to the look and feel of CBSO concerts. Emma has also engaged renowned programmer and curator Gillian Moore to help develop this new strategic direction. They will both work alongside Anna Melville, Head of Artistic Planning, who continues to lead on the programming.

At its core, the CBSO aims to put Birmingham at the heart of everything it does, exploring how the orchestra can meaningfully connect to the city and wider region, welcoming every community. Through initiatives such as the recently opened school – the Shireland CBSO Academy – and last week’s sold-out collaboration with the Orchestral Qawwali Project, the orchestra will collaborate and share creative opportunities and resources across Birmingham, with the aim of both driving real social change and expanding the talent pipeline into the creative industries.

On Wednesday 13 December the orchestra will reveal a new concert presentation of Beethoven’s Eroica and Strauss’ Don Quixote which explores the different concepts of ‘the hero’ within the programme. Conceived by Tom and Kazuki, in collaboration with the orchestra, projection artist, Rod Maclachlan and lighting designer Zaynep Kepekli, the performance aims to allow the audience to see the structure of the music as it unfolds.

In the first half, narrative is key, and by revealing the story within Strauss’ tale of a mad knight, a mixture of found, filmed and live footage will guide the audience through the adventures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza – brilliantly characterised by two of the orchestra’s own musicians, cellist Eduardo Vassallo and violist Chris Yates. For Beethoven’s explosive Third Symphony, the presentation is more abstract, using lighting and projection to explore the idea of heroism, what it means for the orchestra, what it meant to Beethoven, and what it might mean for the audience. Tickets are on sale here.

View the vision statement here.