The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) has announced a landmark 2025-26 season with a strong focus on young people and music education, responding directly to research showing that family-friendly concerts are hugely popular among Birmingham residents.

 
The new season will give more than 20,000 young people enriching music experiences through:
 
·       Targeted Schools’ Concerts for different key stages in partnership with Services For Education, reaching thousands of children who might otherwise never experience live orchestral music.
·      Notelets performances specifically designed for toddlers and young children’s first music experiences – these are fun-filled interactive concerts that give children the freedom to dance, sing and learn about musical instruments for the first time.
·       Relaxed Concerts created for pupils attending Special Schools to enable pupils to experience live music in a supported, accessible and engaging environment.
·       Four dedicated family concerts including “Music from the Movies,” “CBSO Family Christmas”, “Tunes & Tales,” and “Dance Across America”.
·       Free CBSO in the City week (23-28 July 2025) bringing free orchestral performances to unexpected places across the city, from canal boats to botanical gardens.
 

All in addition to the CBSO’s wide programme of work with young people and communities, including their youth ensembles, Associate Schools programme, community performances, and the Shireland CBSO Academy.

Tom Spurgin, CBSO Creative Director – Learning & Engagement, says: “Our schools and family programming is a long-term investment in cultivating tomorrow’s audiences while providing today’s young people with transformative musical experiences. Building on our commitment to music education at our school – the Shireland CBSO Academy – we’ve worked hard to ensure that our concert season continues to provide young people with opportunities to be inspired by incredible music.” 

Emma Stenning, CBSO Chief Executive comments: “Our new season is a magnificent celebration of music that promises to deliver joy filled concerts for everyone, whether you find us at Symphony Hall, across Birmingham and the West Midlands, or on national and international tour. Birmingham is our inspiration. Our home city is fantastically musical, and full of diversity and creative adventure.  This new season is drawn from exactly that spirit, and presents us to the world as a truly future facing orchestra, that both celebrates the great classical repertoire, and dares to try something new”.

“As you delve into what’s on offer, we hope that you will discover music that moves you, uplifts you and offers you moments of celebration and reflection.  We very much look forward to welcoming you to a concert soon”.

The focus on youth education comes as the CBSO’s “Listening Project” – a West Midlands focused research initiative – revealed strong cultural confidence among local communities, with 60% of Birmingham residents considering attending arts and cultural events an important part of their free time, and 79% attending a Birmingham venue in the last year.