Between Tuesday 4 and Friday 7 November, B:Music proudly hosted the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO) Directors’ meeting, led by B:Music Chief Executive Nick Reed.
Cultural leaders from across Europe gathered in Birmingham for a packed programme that showcased the city’s world-class concert halls and vibrant cultural scene, with a brief visit to Oxford also included on the itinerary.
The visit coincided with the 30th anniversary of ECHO’s acclaimed Rising Stars programme, which for three decades has identified and supported exceptional emerging performers. Each year, the initiative delivers around 110 concerts and 70 special projects across ECHO’s member halls, including B:Music’s Town Hall and Symphony Hall, with a mission to bring fresh energy to the global stage, engage diverse audiences, and inspire social progress through music.
The Directors’ meeting programme included opportunities to attend the CBSO’s Kazuki & Isata Kanneh-Mason concert at Symphony Hall on 5 November and to meet Chief Conductor Kazuki Yamada. Guests also enjoyed performances from B:and Together, B:Music’s jazz and gospel ensemble for young people, at Birmingham Town Hall, in an event attended by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham.
B:and Together brings together talented young musicians from across the city for fortnightly workshops led by some of Birmingham’s leading industry professionals. The ensemble offers a welcoming space to make music, build friendships and develop musical skills and confidence.
Nick Reed, Chief Executive of B:Music, said: “It was an honour for B:Music to host the ECHO Directors here in Birmingham. This gathering highlighted our ongoing connection with Europe’s leading concert halls and our shared belief in the power of music to bring people together.
With the ECHO Rising Stars programme celebrating its 30th anniversary, it was the perfect opportunity to showcase Birmingham as a city of culture, creativity and international collaboration- and to demonstrate once again that B:Music is helping to put Birmingham firmly on the map.
Symphony Hall and Town Hall have proudly been part of the Rising Stars series since it began in 1995. Our current ECHO Rising Stars season brings a European tour of some of the continent’s most exciting emerging performers- from Iceland to Georgia and Hungary- right here to Birmingham.”
The Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Zafar Iqbal, added: “We were delighted to welcome our European guests to Birmingham- a city that thrives on its diversity, creativity and cultural energy. Hosting the ECHO Directors’ meeting was a wonderful opportunity to show the world the talent, ambition and community spirit that make Birmingham such an inspiring place for music.”