This isn’t Laura Mvula’s first time with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO). After graduating from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, the Mercury Prize-nominated artist worked as a receptionist for them, and it’s here she started writing songs herself. Years later, the singer returns to her home city to lead the CBSO at Symphony Hall.
The one-of-a-kind concert, which takes place on Friday, October 10, marks Laura’s first solo collaboration with the CBSO. Conducted by Matthew Lynch, the performance will combine her rich harmonies and soul-stirring vocals with the full force of an orchestra, performing several of her songs—including Green Garden, Father Father, and Sing to the Moon.
The concert is part of Black Lives in Music’s celebrated classical music festival, Classically Black. In its second year, the festival celebrates black composers and musicians reimagining classical music through their lens of culture, experience and creativity. This is Laura’s first hometown performance since the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games in 2022.
“Coming back to Birmingham to perform with the CBSO feels like a full-circle moment,” said Laura Mvula. “The orchestra has been part of my life since I was a child, so to now share my music at Symphony Hall, alongside these musicians, is deeply personal and incredibly special. To be able to do it as part of Classically Black, celebrating the contributions of Black musicians and composers, adds even more meaning.”
Laura released her debut album, Sing to the Moon, in 2013, earning her two MOBO awards and a Mercury Prize nomination. Since then, Laura has released two more albums, The Dreaming Room and Pink Noise, both Mercury Prize nominated, won two Ivor Novello Awards for Best Album, composed music for the Royal Shakespeare Company and a Netflix Series, and recently released a single as part of the 2024 John Lewis Christmas campaign.
Tickets for Classically Black with Laura Mvula & the CBSO are on sale now here.