Birmingham Hippodrome have announced a new pilot programme especially for young people, to shape the future of the Hippodrome’s work.

The Young Advocates programme will initially run until March 2021, and is open to anyone aged 14-22 from Birmingham and the West Midlands who have an interest in the arts and a passion to make change. The final group will be involved in a range of workshops and will have the opportunity to work with Hippodrome Associate Companies, Artists and staff. At the end of the pilot programme the Young Advocates will be asked to share their vision for Birmingham Hippodrome’s future with the organisations senior team and Trustees.

The Young Advocates will also get to present their response at the TedXYouth@Brum digital conference in March. Alongside this, the successful applicants will receive training, mentoring and access to a range of different areas within the arts industry.

Zaylie-Dawn Wilson, Head of Learning and Participation at Birmingham Hippodrome commented: “The Young Advocates programme will offer young people a platform to have their voices heard and opinions valued. This programme will help to ensure young people see a career in the arts industry as a viable option, which in turn will drive change for Birmingham Hippodrome and young people in the West Midlands.”

Zaylie added: “This programme is part of our mission and pledge as a member of More Than A Moment to ensure that our offer is inclusive, accessible, whilst supporting and developing diverse and talented young people as part of our future workforce.”

The programme is completely free and sessions will run weekly on a Wednesday evening with some weekend sessions. An open online information session to takes place on Wednesday 13 January at 6pm, with the deadline for applications Sunday 17 January 8pm. Applicants will then be invited to attend a workshop session on Wednesday 20 January with the final group members selected on Thursday 21 January.

Birmingham Hippodrome have shared more information about the stunning surprise light installation that has shone over areas of Birmingham and the Black Country. Global Rainbow – an art installation by international artist Yvette Mattern - was beamed Northwest from the city’s iconic Rotunda building this evening, marking a message of hope and peace for the New Year.

Graham Callister, Director of Festivals at Birmingham Hippodrome commented: “We are delighted to present this monumental light installation by visual artist Yvette Mattern over the New Year Period. After such a challenging 2020, we hope that those who have been able to experience Global Rainbow have been inspired to take a moment to pause and reflect and look toward 2021 with hope and peace.

“It is hugely important people do not travel to see this installation – the joy of this special visual artwork is that it can be seen safely from the homes of those living nearby by simply looking to the sky.” Graham added: “We would like to thank Arts Council England, the Global Streets consortia and Bullring & Grand Central for helping to make this wonderful installation possible.”

Global Rainbow is an ongoing public artwork by Visual Artist Yvette Mattern. The artwork was created in 2009 to be a visual translation of hope and light and has since been displayed across the world in cities including New York City (USA), Sao Paulo (Brazil) and Kobe (Japan). It beams seven rays of laser light (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet) representing the colour spectrum of a natural rainbow and will be shone northwest out the city over the New Year period. The rainbow beams can reach up to 10 miles on a clear night, and this evening could be seen in Birmingham City Centre, the Jewellery Quarter and areas of the Black Country.

Yvette said: “I was thrilled to work with the Hippodrome Festivals team to bring a unique, covid-safe, visual art installation to the West Midlands. I hope those in Birmingham and the Black Country who saw Global Rainbow enjoyed the experience and will take comfort from positivity it represents as we head into 2021.”

Each year, the Birmingham Hippodrome Festivals team produce a range of exciting events including the annual B-SIDE Hip-Hop Festival and Birmingham’s Chinese New Year in Birmingham celebrations, as part of the venue’s mission to enrich the cultural life of the region.

Fiona Allan, Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Birmingham Hippodrome added: “As a leading producer of festivals in the region, we have worked incredibly hard this year to innovate and adapt our programme in order to safely deliver exciting cultural experiences. Global Rainbow offered us the opportunity to produce a beautiful, poignant and symbolic moment for the region as we all look towards a brighter 2021.”

Global Rainbow was presented by Birmingham Hippodrome as part of Global Streets, a national project funded through Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grants.

Birmingham Hippodrome have released a special new poem by Birmingham’s Poet Laureate Casey Bailey to mark a message of hope for the New Year. The special commission, titled Slice of Sunshine has been created to run alongside public images of the Global Rainbow light installation that the Birmingham Hippodrome Festivals team ran over the New Year period.

Global Rainbow – an art installation by international artist Yvette Mattern - was beamed northwest from the city’s iconic Rotunda building on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, marking a message of hope and peace for 2021.

Graham Callister, Director of Festivals at Birmingham Hippodrome said: “We were thrilled to work with Casey on such a special message of hope for the New Year. We would also like to thank everybody who shared photos of Global Rainbow too, we have been overwhelmed by the fantastic response to the installation and hope we can bring more moments of positivity to the region throughout 2021.”

Poet Laureate Casey said: “When I first heard that the Global Rainbow was coming to Birmingham, I was so excited to see it light up the sky above the city. When I was asked to write about what this meant to me, I thought about the way that rainbows come from a combination of ‘good and bad’ weather and how I hope 2021 could redress the balance of a predominantly bad 2020”

‘Global Rainbow’ is an ongoing public artwork by Artist Yvette Mattern was presented by Birmingham Hippodrome as part of Global Streets, a national project funded through Arts Council England National Lottery Project Grants.

The Slice of Sunshine video can be viewed on YouTube or on Birmingham Hippodrome’s social media channels.

H.R. Owen Bugatti has been entrusted with the care of the last ever racing Bugattis; two unique EB110s campaigned during 1994, 1995 and 1996. The extremely rare cars, two of around 150 built in total, arrived at H.R. Owen Bugatti Service in London for their routine annual maintenance, to be cared for alongside the team’s array of Chirons and Veyrons.

The EB110s are two enormously complex cars, both based on the later EB110 SS, powered by a quad-turbocharged 3.5-litre V12 engine, delivering around 600hp through an advanced all-wheel-drive system. And while they’re each built around a very similar formula, they were designed to race under very different conditions.

The iconic blue car, EB110S LM, was built to race at Le Mans 24 Hours in 1994, on the 55^th anniversary of Bugatti’s last win at the event. Having been completed in less than six months, the car looked set for a successful race, regardless of having five turbos changed and a fuel tank leak. In fact, it looked as though a top-five finish was likely until a suspected tyre blowout ended EB110 LM’s race with just 45 minutes remaining. 

The silver car, EB110S SC GTS-1 was destined to race in the North American WSC GT series, and has a few subtle revisions over the LM, including a slightly raised ride height, reorganised cockpit and adapted bodywork. In 1995, it recorded a fifth-place finish at Watkins Glen and sixth-in-class at Sears Point before looking on track for a successful Daytona 24 Hours race before stopping short of the finish line with transmission issues.

Since their racing days, both EB110s have led busy lives with their passionate owner; EB110 SC GTS-1 appeared in photos for the launch of the Centodieci, while EB110 LM appeared in promotional materials created for the race-bred Bugatti Bolide.

H.R. Owen is the only Bugatti Partner of Excellence in the UK, with a dedicated boutique in the heart of London’s Mayfair and the advanced Bugatti service centre in North Acton, London. Entrusted with the repair and maintenance of the most advanced performance cars in the world, H.R. Owen Bugatti Service is staffed by the UK’s most experienced Bugatti technicians with over 22-years joint experience.

H.R. Owen CEO, Ken Choo, said: “Caring for a Bugatti is unlike caring for any other type of performance vehicle; the world’s most advanced materials and technologies combine to create a car that pushes the boundaries of speed and usability. Looking after any Bugatti is a privilege, but to be responsible for the maintenance of the last ever Works racing Bugattis is extremely special. It speaks volumes of the expertise of our Service team and our advanced facility that our customers trust us not just with their Chirons and Veyrons but also with priceless pieces of Bugatti history like these two racers.”

The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra once again partnered with Youth Homeless Charity St Basils to raise much-needed funds to support its work with young people in and around the West Midlands. For over a decade the CBSO and St Basils’ tradition of fundraising at the orchestra’s annual festive carol concerts at Symphony Hall were a Great Birmingham Christmas Tradition which contributed to raising over £30,000 for St Basils and the CBSO (also a charity).

For the first time last year, the CBSO was not able to present its traditional Christmas programme and therefore the charities joined together in a different way – with three special videos created for the orchestra’s festive Advent Calendar. From 1-24 December, each day at 9am the CBSO released a new festive video via their website and social media channels. The videos were created by members of the CBSO family (both orchestra musicians and choruses) and included a great mix of Christmas music, carols and readings from all over the world.

The three videos that were chosen to support St Basils were aimed at young people and families and were launched in December with the CBSO percussion section joining students from The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire which included a surprise message from one of their favourite guest artists. Viola-player Amy Thomas read a children’s Christmas story and the CBSO Youth Chorus performed Bob Chilcott’s ‘The Midnight of your Birth’.

The videos encouraged donations across the three days which was equally split between St Basils and the CBSO. A fourth video was dedicated to raising funds for Help Musicians UK, at a time when so many musicians have seen their livelihoods wiped out as a result of the Covid pandemic.

St Basils’ work focuses on young people aged 16-25, with the core aim of preventing youth homelessness. They provide advice and support to 5,000 vulnerable young people per year who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless in Birmingham, Solihull, Sandwell, Coventry, Warwickshire and North Worcestershire.

 Jo Patton, Principal 2nd Clarinet and Chair of the Player’s Committee says: “Everything has changed for us all since March this year but here at the CBSO we are determined to discover new ways we can connect and share our music with as many people as possible.  We are really excited to share our Advent Calendar with you – an amazing selection of some really beautiful and some really fun videos to share a little positive Christmas spirit and joy with the world. We are also really delighted to be able to continue our support of St Basils and our fellow freelance musicians via Help Musicians UK at this difficult time.”

Barrie Hodge, Head of Fundraising and Communications for St Basils, said: “We are overjoyed to, once again, be working with the amazing CBSO. It’s been a partnership that has been going on for many years and, even in a time of global crisis that partnership has endured. The innovative performances, combined with raising money for both our causes, is truly wonderful and we are honoured to be part of it. On behalf of the young people we support, thank you.”

On its 100th birthday, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra launched an ambitious five-year, £12.5m fundraising campaign, designed to ensure the orchestra’s recovery post-Covid and drive its longer-term renewal for a second century. ‘The Sound of the Future’ aims to redefine the CBSO’s future for the benefit of everyone across Birmingham and the West Midlands.

Hip-hop star MF Doom has died, his family confirmed on social media. The London-born musician - real name Daniel Dumile - was known for his sharp, intricate rhymes and his signature mask, which he never removed in public. In a post on the rapper's Instagram account, his wife Jasmine confirmed his death. A number of artists have paid tribute to MF Doom including Run The Jewels and Tyler, The Creator.

In a note addressed to the rapper, his wife paid tribute to "the greatest husband, father, teacher, student, business partner, lover and friend I could ever ask for". His representatives confirmed his death to Rolling Stone magazine. No cause of death was disclosed.

MF Doom moved to New York as a child before, as a teenager, performing in hip-hop group KMD. Following the loss of his younger brother and bandmate DJ Subroc, he left the music and becoming near homeless. But, in 1997, he remerged at open mic events in Manhattan, wearing tights over his face. He protected his anonymity for the rest of his career, adopting a mask based on the Marvel villain Doctor Doom for all his public appearances.

His debut, Operation: Doomsday, was released in 1999, and he followed it up with an almost non-stop outpouring of music. As well as six solo albums, he produced a wealth of bootlegs, compilations, collaborations, mixtapes and instrumental albums - including the influential, 10-part Special Herbs series.

Probably best known for 2004's Madvillainy, which was recorded with crate-digging producer Madlib under the moniker Madvillain, it gave the rapper his first entry on the US album chart.

Another high-profiled collaboration was with Danger Doom, alongside DJ Danger Mouse. He appeared with Damon Albarn's Gorillaz on their UK number one album Demon Days.

Other collaborators included Ghostface Killah, Flying Lotus, The Avalanches and Radiohead.

One of hip-hop's most respected MCs, many others lined up to pay tribute after news of his death broke on New Year's Eve.

"RIP to another Giant, your favourite MC's MC... MF DOOM," wrote A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip on Twitter. "Crushing news."

El-P of Run The Jewels added: "He was a writer's writer. Grateful I got to know you a little, king. Proud to be your fan. Thank you for keeping it weird and raw always. You inspired us all and always will."

"All u ever needed in hip-hop was this record," Flying Lotus tweeted alongside the album cover to Madvillainy. "My soul is crushed."

Apple Music presenter Zane Lowe said: "Rest In Peace to the great MF Doom. A true artist who gifted us with eternal innovation and creativity."

Tyler, The Creator wrote on Twitter: "Safe travels villain". The Sleaford Mods said: "RIP MF DOOM. Sleep well mate."

He was 49.