Cellist Julian Lloyd-Webber told patrons of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) that the Birmingham Conservatoire has the opportunity to become the “best in the world” but needed private support. Julian, appointed principal of the Conservatoire last year, was speaking at a patrons’ lunch hosted by Birmingham City University (BCU).
“With support from the private sector, the Conservatoire has the opportunity to be the best in the world. No other conservatoire will have the equipment, which will include a dedicated jazz club. “But it’s really about students and they will have an unbelievable experience and because of that we can attract the very best. We already have the best student satisfaction figures in the world.”
Julian’s own illustrious international career as a performer was brought to a halt when he was forced to stop playing due to a herniated disc in his neck which has reduced the power in his right arm. Julian said he was “incredibly excited” to be in Birmingham and had moved to the city with his family.
The Conservatoire’s home at Adrian Boult Hall is to be demolished and will play its last concert there on Sunday, June 26. It was the first of its kind to be built in the UK for a generation. A new £56 million Conservatoire is to be built on the city centre campus of BCU and will feature a concert hall, jazz club and unrivalled practice facilities. It opens next year. To mark its move, the Conservatoire is staging ‘City of Sounds – Saying Goodbye to Birmingham Conservatoire’s Adrian Boult Hall’, in conjunction with Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce. The festival will mark the Hall’s closure, but also look ahead to its new home.
‘City of Sounds’, opened this month with a celebrity recital from world famous musicians Sir James and Lady Jeanne Galway and closes on Sunday, 26 June, with Birmingham Conservatoire Symphony Orchestra performing Verdi’s ‘Requiem’ conducted by Sir Richard Armstrong – which will also be broadcast live on BBC Radio 3.