The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) is delighted to announce that SCC will become its new Principal Sponsor from 1 February 2023.

Founded by Sir Peter Rigby and headquartered in Birmingham since 1975, SCC has grown to become one of the largest IT solutions providers in Europe.

As a local business with international reach, family-owned SCC shares much in common with the CBSO. Its Birmingham heritage includes employment of over 50,000 local people and millions of pounds invested in charitable causes and regeneration schemes over the past 48 years.

The three-year agreement includes support of £100,000 a year, aligning with the orchestra’s Sound of the Future campaign, and will see audience development opportunities for SCC staff including concert experiences and hospitality.

CBSO musicians will also perform at SCC venues and locations throughout the sponsorship period, bringing music to new and diverse audiences across the UK and France.

The CBSO’s Sound of the Future campaign aims to raise £12.5 million over five years, culminating in 2025. The campaign has enabled the CBSO to continue enriching people’s lives with music despite the challenging circumstances, and weather the pandemic in the best possible artistic and financial shape. The CBSO is about to launch the ‘transformational’ stage of the campaign, which will reinvigorate the way it works so that it can make an even bigger contribution to West Midlands cultural life in its second century. The gift will be a leadership gift for the next stage of the campaign.

Sir Peter Rigby, Founder and Chairman of SCC, says: “I am immensely proud to announce SCC’s Principal Sponsorship of the CBSO, which has offered so many opportunities and so much enjoyment to local people and international audiences for more than 100 years. This is a partnership that can be shared by our people at SCC, throughout the City of Birmingham, and internationally. SCC and the CBSO are two prominent organisations in Birmingham, with a long history and shared passion for community engagement. I am looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together.”

Chief Executive of the CBSO, Stephen Maddock OBE, adds: "This is an imaginative partnership between two outstanding and long-established Birmingham organisations. Both SCC and the CBSO are committed to promoting our home city, and this new sponsorship will provide outstanding opportunities for SCC staff and clients to experience world-class music-making from the CBSO on a regular basis. I am hugely grateful to Sir Peter Rigby for his generosity and vision in making this new partnership a reality."