“A massive hope in the future” – that was how Elgar described the message of his First Symphony, and when it was premiered in 1908, the audience leapt up and cheered. The CBSO Youth Orchestra represents our massive hope in the musical future: and today Kazuki Yamada steers them through wondrous new worlds of emotion, whether Richard Strauss’ outrageous musical pranks, or the exquisite dreamscapes of Toru Takemitsu.

CBSO+ 1:30pm: Don't miss this special pre-concert performance from a String Quartet drawn from members of the CBSO Youth Orchestra. Programme: Haydn - String Quartet op. 33 no 1 in B minor, 1st movement; Dvorak - String Quartet op. 96 the ‘American’, 4th movement; Shostakovich - Two Pieces for String Quartet (Elegy and Polka). Performers: Violins: Samantha Burley & Jenni Liu, Viola: Naina Reddy, Cello: Beatrice Beardmore.

Please note the pre-concert talk will now start at 1.30pm, 15 minutes earlier than previously advertised, due to the Making an Entrance redevelopments. You will be asked to show your ticket for access into the pre-concert talk, and then invited to take your seat for the concert immediately after the talk concludes. Times of talks will be listed on the concert pages of the CBSO and THSH’s websites in advance, please check before making travel plans.

The CBSO Youth Orchestra is generously supported by the Clive & Sylvia Richards Charity, Helen Rachael Mackaness Charitable Trust and The Leverhulme Trust, with additional support from the Andor Charitable Trust, Angus Allnatt Charitable Foundation,The Charles Brotherton Trust, The Millichope Foundation, The Irving Memorial Trust, The Rainbow Dickinson Trust, Arts for All and the Birmingham Arts Society.