City News

The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra flew the flag for Birmingham on Tuesday 26 January, scooping the Classical Music Award at the South Bank Show’s 14th and last ever Awards.

The nomination was for the CBSO’s collaboration with the Hallé, when between the two world-class orchestras, all six symphonies by the Danish composer Carl Nielson were performed in both Birmingham and Manchester from January to February 2009.  The project was dubbed “The Inextinguishable” – after Nielsen’s best-known Fourth Symphony which the CBSO used to launch the cycle in Symphony Hall, Birmingham.

CBSO Chief Executive Stephen Maddock said, “This is a great honour, and it’s especially pleasing for our ambitious collaboration with the Hallé to be recognised in this way.  It’s a tribute to the hard-working musicians of both Orchestras, and a reminder that audiences want to be inspired and challenged as well as entertained.”

And it wasn’t just the CBSO representing Birmingham at the awards ceremony, with Birmingham Royal Ballet’s David Bintley also taking the Dance Award.  

Stephen commented, “With the CBSO and BRB both winning their categories, these last ever South Bank Awards are a true testament to the high standard of arts coming from Birmingham at the moment, and are a terrific boost to Birmingham’s 2013 City of Culture bid”.   

The South Bank Show Awards, which will be broadcast on ITV1 on Sunday, 31 January, were hosted by Melvyn Bragg, who has presented the South Bank Show for the past 32 years.  It is the only ceremony in the world to honour the best in British arts, with ten awards in categories including; TV Drama, Classical Music, Pop Music, Visual Arts, Comedy, Dance, Film, Literature, Opera and Theatre.       

The Hallé and CBSO were in good company at the event which attracted a host of celebrities, from comedians Billy Connolly and Lee Evans to stars of the music world including ex Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood, Rachel Stevens and Radio 1 DJ Jo Whiley.   Other winners included Rachel Weisz collecting the Theatre award for A Streetcar Named Desire, Florence And The Machine picking up the Pop award and ENO winning the Opera category for Peter Grimes.

PHOTO: Mark Elder, Music Director of the Hallé (left), and CBSO Chief Executive Stephen Maddock with trumpeter Alison Balsom who presented them with the Classical Music Award.