What's On — TownHall events

• A Debate on Climate Change  

  Tue 14 Oct Town Hall

  
  *The Lunar Society* *Sir Michael Lyons* Chair
  Should Birmingham be planning a radical response to climate change? Sir Michael Lyons will chair a Question Time-style discussion between the audience and an invited panel on the impacts of climate change. The panel includes David Henderson, former OECD Chief Economist, Nigel Lawson, former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Professor Jacquie McGlade, Executive Director of the European Environmental Agency, Kevin Anderson of the Tyndall Centre, Michael Meacher MP and Julian Morris of the International Policy Network. £5, 60 plus/full-time students/unwaged £3.50 This debate is hosted by the Lunar Society and sponsored by Martineau Johnson.
  

• BBC Radio 3 Lunchtime Concert: Veronika Eberle & Oliver Schnyder  

  Thu 16 Oct Town Hall

  This friendly lunchtime concert offers you the chance to hear the 19-year-old Veronika Eberle, one of the most promising young violinists to emerge from Germany in recent years, in two exuberantly youthful works.
  *Veronika Eberle* Violin *Oliver Schnyder* Piano *Beethoven* Sonata for violin & piano 26’ *Strauss* Violin Sonata 28’
  
  

• Andy Kirkpatrick: When Hell Freezes Over  

  Thu 16 Oct Town Hall

  British mountaineer Andy Kirkpatrick has a reputation for climbing in extreme conditions. He also has a reputation as the most extreme speaker on the mountaineering circuit, with stand-up talents to rival the top comedy acts in the UK. ‘When Hell Freezes Over’ focuses on his winter expeditions to Patagonia, a treacherous mountain range at the southern most portion of South America. Andy’s show gives a taste of what it’s like to go on a major expedition, with tales of being trapped on mile high summits in hurricane winds, buried by avalanches, and pushed close to hypothermia whilst lashed to the side of a mountain. A 100 mile-an-hour ride through Andy’s whiteknuckle experiences of the last decade. “makes Ray Mears look like Paris Hilton” The Metro
  
  
  

• BBC Big Band with Ian Shaw In association with BBC Radio 2 

  Fri 17 Oct Town Hall

  Britain’s finest Big Band returns for a second season at Town Hall. This concert, to be recorded for BBC Radio 2’s Big Band Special, features an evening of jazz and swing classics, plus special guest vocalist Ian Shaw. Winner of Best Vocalist at the 2007 BBC Jazz Awards, Ian is a regular performer with the BBC Big Band and will feature jazz standards and songs from his recent albums, Drawn To All Things-The Songs of Joni Mitchell and the self-penned Lifejacket. “He has few rivals” Sunday Times “The best jazz vocalist we have” Time Out “One of the contemporary scene’s class acts” The Guardian “A razor-sharp performer with faultless time and unrivalled passion” WBGO Jazz88FM New York In association with BBC Radio 2. Concert to be recorded forBBC Radio 2’s Big Band Special. BBC Big Band is a Town Hall Associate Artist.
  *Jiggs Whigham* Conductor *Ian Shaw* Vocals
  
  

• Mendelssohn’s Elijah  

  Sat 18 Oct Town Hall

  Mendelssohn’s Elijah is one of the mightiest of all choral works, with an heroic grandeur that sweeps all before it. The work runs in Birmingham’s blood since it was commissioned for the 1846 Birmingham Music Festival and premiered at Town Hall. Tonight, to inaugurate Mendelssohn’s bicentenary year of 2009, Elijah is performed by the critically acclaimed Ex Cathedra, in a new edition specially prepared for the occasion. The marriage of hall, history, outstanding singers and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment make this an unmissable concert. *BBC Music magazine’s Editor, Oliver Condy, explains why he has recommended tonight’s concert:* _Beloved by choral societies up and down the country, Mendelssohn’s Elijah is one of the great oratorios, crammed to the brim with superb tunes. And where else to see Elijah than in Birmingham’s newly restored Town Hall? An unbeatable roster of performers should make for an unbeatable evening._ "BBC Music Magazine":http://www.bbcmusicmagazine.com
  *Ex Cathedra XL Anniversary Choir* *Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment* *Jeffrey Skidmore* conductor *Julia Doyle* soprano *Diana Moore* mezzo-soprano *Mark Padmore* tenor *Nicolas Mulroy* tenor *James Rutherford* bass
  *Mendelssohn* Elijah (1846)
  

• Lunchtime Organ Concert: David Saint  

  Mon 20 Oct Town Hall

  An opportunity to hear Mendelssohn’s Sixth Sonata, Peeters’ Suite Modale, Bovet’s Salamanca and more. Admission from 12.30pm. Programme lasts approximately one hour.
  
  
  

• Talking Cities: Urban Design Lecture Series Sponsored by Atkins 

  Mon 20 Oct Town Hall

  Talking Cities presents critical issues facing cities like Birmingham today. The first three lectures have provided fresh ways of thinking about Birmingham's future from the role of public spaces such as the proposed City Park and ways to transform roads into streets, to the city's creative multicultural influences on architecture and city spaces. This lecture will further explore, and challenge, the latest thinking in city making from leading speakers. £5 and discount rates for students
  
  
  

• Maximum Rhythm N' Blues  

  Tue 21 Oct Town Hall

  *The Manfreds* (Paul Jones, Mike D’Abo, Mike Hugg, Tom McGuinness, Rob Townsend, Marcus Cliffe & Simon Currie) *plus special guests Alan Price* (The Animals) & Maggie Bell Following numerous critically acclaimed tours and due to public demand, Maximum Rhythm N’ Blues is back, once again boasting some of the finest quality talent ever assembled on one stage. The tour reunites original Manfred members Paul Jones, Mike D’Abo, Tom McGuinness and Mike Hugg. After the successful reunion of The Manfreds in 1991, the band injects all of the enthusiasm back into classics such as Do Wah Diddy Diddy, 5-4-3-2-1 and Mighty Quinn. £21.50
  
  
  

• Eddi Reader Plus special guests 

  Wed 22 Oct Town Hall

  One of the country's great vocalists who has forged a hugely successful solo career after establishing her name with Fairground Attraction. In 2003, Eddi returned to her Scottish roots to record a beautiful album of songs by Robert Burns featuring a collection of superb traditional musicians, while her more recent album Peacetime fused her Scottish influences with new material from long-time collaborator Boo Hewerdine. A superb singer who happily follows her own path regardless of the vicissitudes of musical fashion.
  
  
  

• Sing Live West Midlands presents Sing Swing  

  Sat 25 Oct Town Hall

  From the Fabulous Forties to the present day revival, Sing Live West Midlands will have you on your feet dancing to the sound of the National Festival Orchestra Big Band and 150 singers from your area. You will instantly recognise the unmistakable Glenn Miller Sound, with the show-stopping Chattanooga Choo-choo, and also our tribute to Ol’ Blue Eyes himself, the Chairman of the Board, Frank Sinatra. Something for everyone as the Sing Live Wall of Sound grabs you and takes you into the era of Swing. £15, £17.50 Under 16s £9 Tickets available from Sing Live Booking office on 01609 780315 or Town Hall and Symphony Hall Box Office. Please note the 3.30pm show has now been cancelled
  
  
  

• Sunday Morning Coffee Concert - Di Xiao  

  Sun 26 Oct Town Hall

  This brilliant Chinese pianist is already well known in Birmingham’s music circles as a result of being chosen to represent Town Hall and Symphony Hall in the ECHO Rising Stars series. Today’s concert launches a tour that will take her to play at eleven of Europe’s most prestigious concert halls during 2008/9. Come and hear her play sonatas by Mozart and Beethoven and a selection of miscellaneous pieces, and wish her bon voyage. £7.50 (unreserved), Under 16s £3.50 Ticket includes a cup of tea or coffee, a soft drink or a glass of sherry.
  
  
  

• Lunchtime Organ Concert - Darius Battiwalla  

  Mon 27 Oct Town Hall

  Darius Battiwalla performs a glorious programme that includes Mendelssohn’sFirst Sonata, Vierne’s Claire de Lune and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee. Admission from 12.30pm. Programme lasts approximately one hour.
  
  
  

• Nitin Sawhney: London Undersound  

  Tue 28 Oct Town Hall

  From bizarre justifications for war to issues of race, nationality, religion and cultural identity, we are saturated with information and second-hand opinion. Since the bombings of 7/7 and the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, Nitin Sawhney feels that London’s heartbeat - that collective consciousness, the uniting hum of disparate voices - has changed. London Undersound, the tour of the album due for October release, captures the zeitgeist and reflects the common humanity that pervades superficial divides in a city of immense diversity, imagination and beliefs. All seats £17.50 By arrangement with Primary Talent International Ltd Supported by Sampad and Shaanti
  
  
  

• Celebrity Piano Recital: Paul Lewis  

  Thu 30 Oct Town Hall

  Few other pianists have identified themselves so closely with the great Viennese classics as Paul Lewis. A protégé of the legendary Alfred Brendel, his award-winning recordings of the Schubert Sonatas have been highly acclaimed. Tonight he combines Schubert’s majestic G major Sonata with two of Mozart’s most profound piano works and Ligeti’s scintillating _Musica ricercata_, parts of which were used in Stanley Kubrick’s film _Eyes Wide Shut_. This is a chance to hear at first hand one of today’s most celebrated young pianists. 6.15 Pre-concert talk: Paul Lewis in conversation Tickets £5-£20
  
  *Mozart* Fantasia in C minor, K475 12’ *Ligeti* Musica ricercata-11 Pieces for Piano 27’ *Mozart* Rondo in A minor, K511 9’ *Schubert* Sonata in G major, D894 30’
  

• Halloween Silent Movie Special: Nosferatu  

  Fri 31 Oct Town Hall

  *Certificate 12* *Nigel Ogden* Spine-tingling improvised organ accompaniment One of the earliest film adaptations of Dracula, this 1922 creepy cult classic spawned a legion of horror movies. The flesh-crawling Count Orlok, played by Max Schreck, is the stuff of nightmares! Duration approximately 88 minutes with no interval.
  
  
  

• Family Event: Pied Piper Workshop & Concert  

  Sat 1 Nov Town Hall

  Atarah and the Fizzy Flute Band invite children aged 3 • 10 to bring ANY instrument, even home-made ones and toys, to join them in rehearsing and then performing the story in music of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. A hands-on workshop/concert that will keep even the family fidget busy, tapping rhythms, booing the Wicked Mayor, cheering the Piper and squeaking with the Rats, while children play simple tunes and sound effects as the story progresses. No preparation necessary. Adults £5, 60 plus £4.50, Under 16s £2.50 Family Ticket (minimum 1 adult) £12 The concert lasts approximately one hour and then, after an interval, Atarah will be in the foyer to meet and greet audience members.
  Devised and presented by Atarah Ben-Tovim MBE
  
  

• Ralph McTell and The Dylan Project  

  Sat 1 Nov Town Hall

  This gala double bill features Ralph McTell, one of Britain's best-loved singersongwriters. Ralph will perform a solo set from his self-penned repertoire of great songs and this will be his only Midlands concert in 2008. The Dylan Project stars Birmingham's very own Steve Gibbons with PJ Wright, Phil Bond, and Fairport Convention's Dave Pegg and Gerry Conway.
  
  
  

• Festival of Remembrance  

  Sun 2 Nov Town Hall

  
  
  
  

• The Salsa Ball in association with SalsaFever.com 

  Sat 8 Nov Town Hall

  Go Latin in Birmingham at one of the finest music halls in the country. An evening of salsa grooves from the UK’s hottest salsa band. Award-winning Alex Wilson is at the helm of his renowned 12-piece Salsa Orchestra, a scintillating line-up of the best contemporary salsa rhythm, brass and vocal musicians, for the Midlands launch of his new album. Before the full salsa showdown, loosen up those Latino limbs in the hands of our host Rohan Brown and expert instructors from Salsafever.com, with free classes and salsa DJs from 8pm onwards. _‘Alex Wilson has been slaying ‘em with his authentic, exciting Afro-Cuban’_ *Mojo* _‘It’s tempting to wear a hat to his gigs just to be able to throw it up in the air!’_ *Guardian* £18.50 Dress to impress - black tie preferred but not essential.
  Alex Wilson Salsa Orchestra
  
  

• Lunchtime Organ Concert - Peter Gould  

  Mon 10 Nov Town Hall

  The Derby Cathedral Organist performs Jongen’s Cantabile, Dubois’ Fiat Lux, Fletcher’s Toccata and more. Admission from 12.30pm. Programme lasts approximately one hour.
  
  
  

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