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Birmingham Jazz Orchestra

Birmingham Jazz Orchestra
Guest Artists
Date and time
08 Oct 2026 6.30pm - 10pm
Location

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire

Price

£15
£12 under 18s, over 60s
£5 non-ϳԹ students (student ID required)

6.30pm Support - The Zeb Murphy Quartet - Eastside Jazz Club
7.45pm Birmingham Jazz Orchestra - Recital Hall
9pm Jam session with The Zeb Murphy Quartet - Eastside Jazz Club

Booking Information

Wheelchair users are entitled to a complimentary companion seat.

You can book a free companion ticket by selecting the seat next to yours on the seating plan.

Or, for unreserved seating plans, add a second ticket to your basket.
If you wish to discuss your accessibility needs with a member of our team, please call 0121 331 5909.

Assistance dogs are welcome at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire venues. If you wish to bring an assistance dog, please let the Events Office know by calling 0121 331 5909.


FREE TICKETS FOR ϳԹ STUDENTS AND STAFF

Use your ϳԹ email address at the checkout to automatically activate your complimentary ticket. Subject to availability.

No promo code is needed, unless otherwise communicated. If you have any queries regarding your booking, please contact the Events Team.

Birmingham Jazz Orchestra in performance

"Birmingham Jazz Orchestra"Birmingham Jazz at 50

In a very special gig at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, the Birmingham Jazz Orchestra will celebrate 50 years of Birmingham Jazz - a crucial contributor to the current thriving jazz scene in the city. Following a student support set in the Eastside Jazz Club at 6.30pm, the audience will transfer to the Recital Hall for the BJO performance, which will include the premiere of a brand new multi-movement suite of music by five Birmingham-based composers, specially commissioned for the occasion by Phil Rose at Birmingham Jazz. Each movement is inspired by the musical influences from Birmingham Jazz's five decades:

Mov 1 (composed by Ed Puddick) is influenced by the Jazz-Rock of the 1970s, including Mike Gibbs, Neil Ardley and Ian Carr.
Mov 2 (composed by Alicia Gardner-Trejo) celebrates some of the joyous music being made in the UK jazz scene in the 1980s.
Mov 3 (composed by Jonathan Silk) reflects the maturing compositional style of writers like Kenny Wheeler in the 1990s.
Mov 4 (composed by Dave Sear) remembers the expanding musical influences of the early 2000s on the UK jazz scene.
Mov 5 (composed by Alex Astbury) takes inspiration from all five decades of Birmingham Jazz to create a uniquely contemporary finale.

Following the conclusion of the Birmingham Jazz Orchestra set there will be a student-led jam session in the Eastside Jazz Club, so bring your horn and join in the celebration!

Birmingham Jazz Orchestra have been bringing vibrant original big band music to the scene for a decade now. With two albums under their belt featuring original music by Birmingham musicians, they are a staple of the jazz scene in the midlands and UK. More recently, they have been busy with their residency at Birmingham's Digbeth Jazz, and are constantly expanding their eclectic pad of music full of original compositions and arrangements by members of the band, alongside doing gigs with guest composers (Nikki Iles, Josaphine Davies, Charlie Bates). BJO are a regular sight at Symphony Hall, Digbeth Jazz and the Birmingham Conservatoire, and bring an exciting and contemporary energy to the jazz and big band scene here in the UK.

Saxes/Woodwinds
Chris Bowden
Mary Wakelam-Sloan
Dan Spirrett
David Bustos
Alicia Gardener-Trejo

Trumpets
Gareth Howell
Nick Dunham
Aaron Diaz
Alex Astbury

Trombones
Dave Sear
Joe Carnell
Rosie Smithers
Pearce Abbey

Rhythm Section
Aidan Pope guitar
John Turville piano
James Owston bass
Jonathan Silk drums

Running time approx. three hours and 30 minutes

Forthcoming events in Guest Artists

Forthcoming dates include:

OHMI 15th Anniversary Celebration

Sat 12 Sep 2026 - 7pm
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Peter Donohoe (piano)

Tue 15 Sep 2026 - 7pm
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An Evening with Tony Iommi MBE - SOLD OUT

Thu 17 Sep 2026 - 7pm
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James Gilchrist (tenor) - Winterreise

Tue 22 Sep 2026 - 1.05pm
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Beyond Coltrane Symposium

Fri 25 Sep 2026 - 2.30pm
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Mark Padmore and Jonathan Biss

Fri 2 Oct 2026 - 7pm
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BPO: Jack Lovell-Huckle’s Inaugural Concert

Sun 4 Oct 2026 - 3pm
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Jazz Sabbath

Tue 6 Oct 2026 - 8.15pm
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Fairport Convention

Sun 11 Oct 2026 - 7.30pm
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Paul Dunmall Quartet

Thu 15 Oct 2026 - 6.30pm
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Arnie Somogyi Invites: Josephine Davies

Thu 22 Oct 2026 - 6.30pm
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Music from Twilight's Saga

Fri 23 Oct 2026 - 8pm
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Elliot Mason (trombone)

Mon 26 Oct 2026 - 6.30pm
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Midland Indian Association Presents Iman Chakraborty

Sat 31 Oct 2026 - 6pm
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The Moksha Trio

Thu 5 Nov 2026 - 6.30pm
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Fergus McCreadie - Chamber Music Scotland Tour

Sat 7 Nov 2026 - 8pm
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Consone Quartet: Beethoven's Mixtape

Thu 12 Nov 2026 - 1.05pm
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City of Birmingham Choir - Dances of Time

Sun 15 Nov 2026 - 3pm
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George Colligan Presents...

Thu 19 Nov 2026 - 6.30pm
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Birmingham Festival Choral Society - Echoes of Vienna

Sat 21 Nov 2026 - 7.30pm
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Gordon Giltrap and Friends

Sun 22 Nov 2026 - 6pm
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James Lisney… poèmes, melodies, et danses

Sun 22 Nov 2026 - 4pm
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Les Neish (tuba)

Tue 24 Nov 2026 - 1.05pm
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An Evening with The Magic Numbers

Sun 29 Nov 2026 - 7.45pm
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Scott Dickinson Viola Recital

Wed 2 Dec 2026 - 2pm
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Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra: The Snowman

Sun 6 Dec 2026 - 12.30pm
Sun 6 Dec 2026 - 3pm
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Christmas with The Salvation Army

Sun 13 Dec 2026 - 2.30pm
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BPO: Czech Myths and Legends

Sun 31 Jan 2027 - 3pm
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Birmingham Festival Choral Society: Carmina Burana

Sat 20 Mar 2027 - 7.30pm
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Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra: Planet Earth

Sun 27 Jun 2027 - 3pm
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