Category Archives: Uncategorized
Farewell John

On Sunday 9th February 2020, John Franklin played his final concert as a member of the Birmingham Philharmonic Orchestra’s flute section. John’s record with the orchestra is amazing. He has been a member for 52 years and Principal Flute for 44 of those. Hardly missing a rehearsal or concert during …
Dedicated to our friends – Tony Smith
Dedicated to our friends – Mike Syrett

Mike graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in 1961, and then spent a further two years studying composition and orchestration at the University of Wales. In 1963 Mike began teaching at Darlaston Grammar and Technical School (now Grace Academy), with the responsibility of setting up a …
Dedicated to our friends – Richard Elliott

BPO’s concerts in February 2020 celebrate the lives of recently departed members of our orchestra; Mike Syrett (Bassoon), Sue Peters (Bassoon), Richard Elliott (Tuba) and Tony Smith (Violin). Richard grew up with a passion and talent for music. He graduated from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and followed …
Dedicated to our friends – Sue Peters

BPO’s concerts in February 2020 celebrate the lives of recently departed members of our orchestra; Mike Syrett (Bassoon), Sue Peters (Bassoon), Richard Elliott (Tuba) and Tony Smith (Violin). Performing with us for over forty-five years, Sue will be remembered for her liveliness, sense of humour and enthusiasm, qualities reflected in the …
Wagner’s Wondrous World

Das Rheingold is an incredibly innovative opera; characters changing into animals, Rhinemaidens swimming on stage, and dramatic scene changes are just some of the imaginative techniques used by Wagner. The instrumentation used by Wagner for the opera was also ground-breaking. Bass trumpet and contrabass trombone, seven harps and the incredible …
Game of Rings
Although the HBO TV series Game of Thrones is partly based on the English Wars of the Roses, there are also many parallels with the Norse mythology that Wagner drew on for The Ring of the Niebelungen. For a start, there’s a lot of sex, especially involving illegitimate children and …