Unveiling the summer 2023 season at B:Music

B:Music, the Birmingham music charity responsible for Symphony Hall and Town Hall, has launched its new Summer programme for 2023 which includes comedy, live music, dance and spoken word on its two world-famous stages.

The new season showcases an array of performances at Town Hall and Symphony Hall. From Katie Melua’s mellow vocals to Phil Wang’s distinct humour, May sees a varied and exciting programme. There are plenty of orchestras to choose from, with the London Concert Orchestra gracing the Symphony Hall stage in June with The Music of Zimmer vs Williams, and July sees the return of Anton Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice with their show Him and Me, as well as Encanto in Concert: The Film with Live Orchestra.

Dazzled by dance? Alyssa Edwards on Tour: Becoming Alyssa (2 May) is an epic, must-see-tell-all dance-all story about Alyssa’s life growing up, her extraordinary drag career and incredible journey to finding love. From Mesquite Texas to the global stage, Alyssa Edwards’ life is a spectacle. Justin Dwayne Lee Johnson, known by his stage name Alyssa Edwards, is an American entertainer, choreographer and television personality having appeared on RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 5, RuPaul’s Drag Race All-Stars 2, America’s Got Talent and his notable Netflix docuseries, Dancing Queen. For Strictly Come Dancing fans, the Ballroom King and the Jive Master Anton Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice join forces to bring their spectacular show Him and Me to Symphony Hall (29 July). Showcasing their unrivalled rapport, they will bring Birmingham audiences a collaboration of dance, song, and light-hearted fun. A true dance extravaganza for all ages.

Crazy for comedy? B:Music is providing the laughs this Summer with a plethora of comedy A-listers to choose from. Stand-up stars including Phil Wang: Wang in there, Baby! (4 May), Jonathan Van Ness (2 Jun) and Jimmy Carr: Terribly Funny (11 June) will be taking to the Symphony Hall and Town Hall stages for the ultimate feelgood night out.

Love live music? Experience two-time Grammy Award-winning musician Rhiannon Giddens with multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi at Town Hall (13 May). Expect pieces from the Great American Songbook, excerpts from Porgy and Bess and a selection of Sinatra numbers in An Unforgettable Evening with Sir Willard White and the Brodsky Quartet (14 May). Join Black Voices on a musical journey through the musical icons of Black Britain at Symphony Hall in June. The Birmingham-based female a cappella quintet, accompanied by a live band of talented musicians, take a trip down memory lane performing hit songs by Mica Paris, Soul II Soul, Eternal, Five Star, Aswad, Jamelia and many more (4 Jun). Witness Austrian band Mnozil Brass as they perform an exclusive UK date of their stage show Gold at Symphony Hall (16 June). Celebrate the 70^th anniversary of Elvis’ first recording date in Sun Records, The Concert: 70^th Anniversary, the official concert show that takes you back to the birthplace of rock'n'roll (4 June). And experience epic and inspirational music from Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Game of Thrones and beyond as the worlds of TV, film and fantasy are brought to life by the London Concert Orchestra and a stunning choir in an unmissable concert featuring the greatest movie music of all time (19 May).

Looking for family fun? Bring the whole family for an afternoon out to Symphony Hall in July to experience Encanto in Concert: The Film with Live Orchestra (31 Jul). Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Academy Award®-winning film comes to life in a UK tour for the first time ever, featuring the entire feature-length film with a full orchestra performing the score. Or join Toscana Strings for Monkey Puzzle and Peter and the Wolf (18 Jun) to encounter the classic characters and stories accompanied by music and dance, while learning new moves along the way.

Looking to learn? B:Music is bringing some world-class speakers with plenty of stories to its stages. Expect a chilling and thrilling talk from David Swindle, the detective who brought serial killer Peter Tobin to justice, in The Makings of a Murderer (15 Jun), and Canadian astronaut and ex-commander of the International Space Station, Chris Hadfield, will host a mind-expanding evening of exploration, imagery, stories, and music (23 Jun).

For the more adventurous, there’s even Cirque (1 July), a show where audiences will be transported into a world where musical theatre meets jaw-dropping circus spectacular. Showstoppers from everyone’s favourite West End and Broadway hits combine with breath-taking, amazing aerialists, incredible contortionists, and thrilling feats of agility and flair. Cirque is the brand-new show that everyone is talking about for 2023.

Other highlights of the Summer 2023 season include a performance by one of the most prolific and successful recording artists in the UK charts, Daniel O’Donnell (11 May), the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra playing Dvořák’s Symphony No 7 (16 May), and a performance from the supremely talented singer, songwriter and actress Kerry Ellis who performs at Town Hall in support of her fourth studio album Kings and Queens (15 May).

To see the full programme and to book tickets, visit www.bmusic.co.uk