ARMONICO CONSORT: PURCELL'S KING ARTHUR

Founded by organist and conductor Christopher Monks a quarter of a century ago, Armonico are one of the largest organisations of their kind in the UK. Using authentic period instruments, the baroque consort regularly perform with some of the best solo musicians in the world.

This latest concert sees them reimagining the legend of King Arthur, ‘beautifully interwoven’ with the music of Henry Purcell. Broadcaster Oz Clarke is the narrator.

Collegiate Church of St Mary, Warwick, Thursday 18 June; Malvern Theatres, Wednesday 24 June; Wyke Manor, Pershore, Thursday 25 June 

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SIR KARL JENKINS CONDUCTS THE ARMED MAN

“Sir Karl Jenkins produces impeccable writing for a multitude of voices and instruments,” says opera and concert star Sir Bryn Terfel. “I wish I had his talent for composing tunes but am proud to consider myself one who adores singing them...” 

Sir Bryn is far from alone in his admiration for his fellow Welshman, who conducts this Symphony Hall performance of his best-known and arguably finest work, The Armed Man: A Mass For Peace. 
The programme also features excerpts from the composer’s Adiemus and Palladio. 

Sir Karl is joined for the event by London Concert Orchestra, the Canzonetta choir, and three solo performers: Kathryn Rudge (mezzo-soprano), Zands Duggan (hand percussion) and Osama Kiwan (muezzin). 

Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Sunday 21 June

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ORCHESTRA OF THE SWAN 30TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT

The Warwick-based Orchestra of the Swan (OOTS) are describing this 30th anniversary concert as ‘both a celebration and a snapshot’ - a portrait of who they are now, shaped by where they have come from. 
“This is not a retrospective in the traditional sense,” explain OOTS, “but a living, breathing statement of identity: an orchestra that continues to evolve, collaborate and re-imagine what a chamber orchestra can be in the 21st century. Above all, it is a thank-you - to our audiences, our musicians and our artistic partners - for 30 years of shared musical adventure.”

The programme features music from JS Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, Radiohead, Sandy Denny, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Edvard Grieg, Miles Davis, The Velvet Underground and Peter Gabriel.

Warwick Hall, Warwick, Tuesday 23 June 

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CBSO: PUCCINI'S TOSCA

Giacomo Puccini’s grand Italian melodrama is set in 1800 and finds the city of Rome threatened by Napoleon’s French army. 

The story focuses on painter Cavaradossi and his lover, the celebrated singer Floria Tosca, as their lives are endangered by Cavaradossi’s decision to help Cesare Angelotti, an escaped political prisoner. 

With corrupt chief of police Baron Scarpia vying for Angelotti’s blood, there follows an intriguing game of cat-and-mouse...

The CBSO’s music director, Kazuki Yamada, here leads the orchestra and an impressive roster of soloists, including Anna Patalong, Sir Bryn Terfel (pictured) and Gwyn Hughes Jones.

Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Saturday 27 June

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SUMMER SYMPHONIC SPECTACULAR

University of Warwick Symphony Orchestra & Chorus are yet again ending a season by providing their audience with an afternoon of vibrant musicmaking. 

Alongside a performance by the winner of the annual Concerto Competition, this year’s programme features Florence Price’s Ethiopia’s Shadow In America - a powerful and moving reflection on the African-American experience - George Gershwin’s An American In Paris, and as a finale, Puccini’s Gloria. The concert’s start-time is 4pm, with a pre-performance talk at 2.45pm included in the price of the ticket. 

Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Sunday 28 June

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KAZUKI CONDUCTS HARMONIUM

Music Director Kazuki Yamada is the man with the baton as his City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra present a celebration of ‘uncommon American heroes and heroines’.

The programme includes John Adams’ Harmonium - a search for transcendence in the face of uncertainty - Copland’s Fanfare For The Common Man - written in 1942 and urging Americans to fight for the freedom of the world - and Joan Tower’s Fanfare For The Uncommon Woman - with each fanfare dedicated to a remarkable female musician.

Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Saturday 4 July

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PHOENIX SINGERS SUMMER CONCERT

Rising from the ashes of Chorus 2000 - a large choir created in 1996 in the lead-up to the millennium - the Birmingham-based Phoenix Singers is a mixed-voice choir whose repertoire includes gospel, pop, sacred and folk. 

This month’s concert sees them turning their talents to a programme of songs which they’re performing under the umbrella title of And All That Jazz..  

St George’s Church, Edgbaston, Saturday 4 July

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BIRMINGHAM FESTIVAL CHORAL SOCIETY

Specialising in a wide variety of choral music from the 16th to the 21st century, Birmingham Festival Choral Society stage three main concerts each year. 

The society’s early-month offering sees them presenting an evening of uplifting spirituals, performing works by Rutter (Feel The Spirit), Hogan, Bartholomew, Chilcott and Washburn. David Wynne conducts.

St George’s Church, Edgbaston, Birmingham, Saturday 11 July 

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HALESOWEN ORCHESTRA

The Halesowen Orchestra has been described as one of the town’s hidden jewels - and it’s a description with which the ensemble’s many supporters would no doubt wholeheartedly agree. 

This year celebrating their 40th birthday, the amateur group of musicians meet once a week to practise a wide and varied repertoire of works by some of the world’s greatest classical composers.

This month’s concert - taking the title Northern Light - features City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra principal bassoonist Nikolaj Henriques playing Carl Weber's bassoon concerto. 

The programme also includes Felix Mendelssohn’s Fair Melusine Overture and Asger Hamerik’s Sixth Symphony.

Carters Lane Baptist Church, Halesowen, Saturday 11 July

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BIRMINGHAM BACH CHOIR

One of the city’s oldest and most distinguished musical groups, Birmingham Bach Choir here return to Bridgnorth’s historic St Mary Magdalene Church for a one-off afternoon concert featuring a selection of songs connected to the works of William Shakespeare. 

The programme will be presented in the presence of ‘Queen Elizabeth I’, aka historian Lesley Smith in full regalia, who will provide ‘narration and insight into Shakespeare’s England’.

St Mary Magdalene, Bridgnorth, South Shropshire, Saturday 4 July   

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STRATFORD-UPON-AVON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

ounded more than 60 years ago, the Stratford-upon-Avon Symphony Orchestra present programmes of tuneful music from the 17th century onwards. 

Their programme for this month’s concert comprises Ethel Smyth’s Overture from The Wreckers, Strauss’ Concerto For Oboe, and Franck’s Symphony In D Minor. 
The oboe soloist is Nicola Hands (pictured).   

The Greig Hall, Alcester, Sunday 5 July  

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ORCHESTRA OF THE SWAN: THE ALCHEMIST

The virtuosity and drama of Tartini’s Devil’s Trill Sonata, the elegance of Corelli’s La Folia, and the vivid scene-painting of Biber’s Sonata Representativa are here set alongside original works by jazz pianist & composer David Gordon and violinist David Le Page... 

This latest concert is one of the Orchestra Of The Swan’s hugely popular Swan Sessions. The regular get-togethers typically see between three and eight members of the orchestra performing in a relaxed and intimate setting.

St Nicholas Church, Warwick, Thursday 9 July

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SOUTH BIRMINGHAM SINFONIA

South Birmingham Sinfonia bring a taste of the Mediterranean to Shirley mid-month when they present a concert titled Spain And Beyond. 

The programme features, among other works, Marquez’s Danzón No2, Rossini’s Overture from The Barber Of Seville, Saint-Saëns’ Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and Sarasate’s Carmen Fantasy. 

Shirley Methodist Church, Saturday 11 July

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PASCAL ROGÉ

Pascal Rogé’s connection to the music of Claude Debussy stretches back to the 1970s, when the talented French pianist produced recordings of the composer’s work which went on to become a benchmark for his repertoire... Continuing to enchant audiences with his timeless artistry, Pascal is visiting Malvern mid-month to perform all of Debussy’s 24 preludes.

Malvern Theatres, Friday 17 July

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EDWARD GARDNER: JOHN ADAMS' HARMONIELEHRE

“I’m thrilled to be reconnecting with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra,” says Edward Gardner in talking about this concert, which sees him conducting the orchestra in a team-up with an exceptional cohort of young musicmakers. “We have a wonderful, rich, shared history. 

“The young musicians [performing with the orchestra as part of the first-ever CBSO Orchestral Residency scheme] will have played many mainstream works in their colleges and youth orchestras, but to tackle this extraordinary programme together will fill us all with a sense of ambition and pride.”

The ‘extraordinary programme’ to which Edward is referring features three landmark pieces which have redefined orchestral mass and momentum: Edgard Varèse’s boundary‑pushing Ionisation and Amériques, and John Adams’ Harmonielehre. The latter, written in 1985, was described by the composer himself as “a statement of belief in the power of tonality at a time when I was uncertain about its future”.

Symphony Hall, Birmingham, Friday 17 July

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THE HEATH STRING QUARTET

Heath String Quartet visit Lichfield with a glowing reputation and having won their fair share of prestigious prizes across the years. These include the Gramophone Chamber Award, presented to them for their lavishly praised recording of the complete string quartets of Sir Michael Tippett.

This Lichfield Festival stop-off sees them performing a concert featuring works by Mozart, Locke, Lyadov, Suk and Schumann.   

The Hub at St Mary’s, Lichfield, Friday 17 July

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BIRMINGHAM GAY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Bringing together musicians from across the Midlands, the well-established Birmingham Gay Symphony Orchestra here perform a concert featuring Dvořák’s Symphonic Variations and two works by Brahms - his First Symphony and his Tragic Overture. Neavan Lobban conducts.  

CBSO Centre, Birmingham, Saturday 18 July