If you have travel plans from or to Birmingham New Street Station today, you’re likely catch a group of musicians enthralling crowds all day at the main departure station.
Members of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s Folk ensemble will dabble in a number of styles as part of their welcome gig for the Music Open Day today at the campus.
Among the instrumentalists are 15 horn players, four cellists, five percussionists and five electric guitarists. Not to forget the fiddlers, flutists, clarinettistss, double-bass and electric bass players, a euphonium soloist, an acoustic guitarist, a mandolist and a harpist along with a number of vocalists.
Professor Julian Lloyd Webber, Principal, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, said, “From Johann Strauss to Duke Ellington to Kylie Minogue, the railways have inspired musicians over the last 200 years and The Conservatoire Folk Ensemble will continue that tradition as they aim to raise the roof of New Street station with their infectious energy and impressive musicality.”
Besides making for quite the spectacular welcome for prospective students arriving in the city by train, Webber also points to the larger message.
“The performances by the Folk Ensemble will provide a unique gateway to their wider visit and, for the thousands of other commuters, shoppers and residents who use the station daily, it showcases Birmingham as a culturally rich destination of international significance,” he added.
If you’ve missed their morning sets, you can catch the ensemble performing again at 4.30pm and 5.15pm this evening. It’s free to watch and open to all.
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The Music Open Day at the Conservatoire will go on from 10am to 4pm today.
