Saxophones in the City: Budding Birmingham talent to perform with star saxophonist
30 Jun 2026
Press Story
Amateur musicians of all ages will get the chance to rehearse and perform with award-winning saxophonist and CBSO Collaborative Artist Jess Gillam as part of ‘CBSO in the City’ which will bring free performances to iconic spaces across Birmingham this summer (27-31 August) for the third year.
The next generation of Birmingham’s musical talent is set to receive a vital boost this summer, with a new ‘come and play’ initiative launched by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO). As part of the upcoming CBSO in the City, Birmingham-based saxophonists and clarinettists will have the chance to rehearse and perform with CBSO Collaborative Artist Jess Gillam. As she prepares to embark on her first season as a Collaborative Artist, Jess will lead amateur musicians in a rehearsal session on Saturday 29 August, before performing with the massed saxophone and clarinet ensemble in the city-centre’s vibrant waterside spot, Brindleyplace.
I can’t wait to start to start my first season with the CBSO as a Collaborative Artist! As well as playing with the orchestra I’m also looking forward to getting involved in Birmingham’s brilliant musical community. This event is open to musicians of all ages who are looking to boost their skill. We’ll be balancing having lots of fun whilst working hard on some great tunes! Music education is so often underfunded and undervalued, and the CBSO provides so many opportunities to demonstrate that the next generation deserves high-quality learning and performance opportunities wherever they’re based.
Jess Gillam, CBSO Collaborative Artist
Keen musicians of all ages are invited to sign up on the CBSO website before midday on 20 July. Rehearsal sessions will take place on the morning of Saturday 29 August at the CBSO Centre, while the performance will take place that afternoon in Brindleyplace.
The CBSO’s annual Birmingham-wide CBSO in the City festival returns for 2026 with five days of free music running from Thursday 27 to Monday 31 August across the summer bank holiday weekend. The 2026 programme will present performances from full orchestral spectacles to duos, quartets and free family concerts.
At a time when classical music is working ever harder to reach new audiences, the CBSO continues its mission to serve the whole city of Birmingham. Orchestral players will meet local audiences wherever they are: presenting music in stations and on local transport as well as in the city’s most iconic spaces (and beyond), from the Bullring and Botanical Gardens to Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the Black Country Living Museum.
Birmingham is a city that holds its cultural life with real conviction. The pride people feel in this orchestra, the breadth of what they listen to, the generosity with which they engage with music that's new to them – that’s something Birmingham brings, and we celebrate. Everything begins here. And if we're serious about being Birmingham's orchestra – not just in name but in practice – then we have to bring music to the city, not as something separate from daily life, but woven through it.
Emma Stenning, Chief Executive of the CBSO
CBSO in the City is generously supported by John Osborn CBE.
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