Joan Armatrading presents the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Michael Seal, for a special concert at CBSO Centre, Birmingham, on Saturday 26 September, marking the 50th anniversary of The King's Trust.

Also appearing will be baritone Darren Jeffery, sopranos Jennifer France and Ruby Hughes, and pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason for an evening that spans Armatrading's own orchestral writing and core classical repertoire.

The concert has been created in support of The King's Trust's 50th Anniversary, with net proceeds and any additional donations from the evening going to The King's Trust to support its work with young people.

Armatrading is a long term supporter of The King’s Trust and Ambassador for the charity since 1983 when it was The Prince’s Trust. She is now a Trustee.

The programme opens with two movements from Armatrading's Homeland, featuring Jeffery, France and Hughes, before Isata Kanneh-Mason performs Dobrinka Tabakova's Nocturne and Beethoven's “Moonlight” Sonata. The evening closes with the CBSO's performance of Armatrading's Symphony No. 1, conducted by Michael Seal.

One of the UK's most singular singer-songwriters, Joan Armatrading has built a body of work stretching back to her 1972 debut Whatever's For Us, earning her an MBE and CBE, the Ivor Novello and BASCA Gold Badge Awards for songwriting, and BRIT and Grammy nominations across a career spanning more than five decades. In 2023 she moved into classical composition for the first time, with the Chineke! Orchestra giving the world premiere of her Symphony No. 1 at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall.

Pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason studied at the Royal Academy of Music on the Sir Elton John Scholarship and is a member of the Chineke! Orchestra. Her Decca debut album Romance, dedicated to the music of Clara Schumann, went to the top of the UK Official Classical Artist Chart, and in 2024 she opened the BBC Proms season with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.

Soprano Jennifer France trained at the Royal Academy of Music and won the 2018 Critics' Circle Emerging Talent Award. She has sung for the Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne, English National Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper and Dutch National Opera, and is known as a leading interpreter of contemporary work, including premieres by George Benjamin and Brett Dean.

Soprano Ruby Hughes trained at the Royal College of Music and is a former BBC New Generation Artist and Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award winner. Her wide-ranging repertoire, from baroque to contemporary music, has taken her to the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Les Arts Florissants and numerous BBC ensembles.

Bass-baritone Darren Jeffery trained at the Royal Northern College of Music and began his career as part of the Royal Opera's Young Artists Programme. He has won two Grammy Awards for his recordings of Falstaff and Billy Budd with the London Symphony Orchestra, and his repertoire ranges from Handel to Wagner.

Michael Seal has been Associate Conductor of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra since 2011, having previously served as the orchestra's Assistant Conductor. He began his career as a CBSO violinist, giving him a rare, insider's understanding of the orchestra he now conducts.

King's Trust 50th Celebration Anniversary takes place at CBSO Centre on Saturday 26 September. Tickets cost £114 – £120 and are on sale now via cbso.co.uk