Birmingham Gay Symphony Orchestra

Birmingham Gay Symphony Orchestra Birmingham’s Friendliest Orchestra. Welcoming all musicians, LGBTQI+ and allies. BGSO is resident orchestra at St. Pauls' in the Jewellery Quarter.

The Orchestra was first formed in 2008 when two violins, a flute, an oboe, a trumpet and a french horn responded to an advert in Midland Zone. People who hadn't played their instrument in years sat next to professional players. By the end of 2009 the Orchestra had grown to over 20 regular players and was preparing to put on their first concert at Birmingham Conservatoire's Adrian Boult Hall. Now i

n its twelfth season, BGSO performs three concerts a year in venues around the city. The orchestra has forged strong links with other organisations within the LGBT community and can often be seen playing as smaller ensembles at key events in the LGBT calendar, including performances at SHOUT! Festival and the Birmingham Pride Community Day. To see details of forthcoming performances visit bgso.org.uk/concerts

The orchestra is looking to recruit more players to join this unique group. We welcome all members of the LGBTQI+ community and their friends! In particular we are on the lookout for players in the Strings, Horn, Brass and Percussion sections. We don't hold auditions or ask for a minimum standard. All we ask is that you are brimming over with enthusiasm! For further information, visit bgso.org.uk

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29/03/2026

We had an absolute blast performing Sibelius's Second Symphony yesterday as you can hear from this video! Enormous thanks to our fantastic marimba soloist Andrew Woolcock who joined us for Ney Rosauro's Marimba Concerto No. 1, and to all of our wonderful audience members who joined us - we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.

Save the date for our next concert - Brahms 1 at the CBSO Centre on Saturday 18 July!

One week to go until our next concert, and the second violins (and the rest of the orchestra) have been hard at work in ...
22/03/2026

One week to go until our next concert, and the second violins (and the rest of the orchestra) have been hard at work in rehearsal today putting the finishing touches on this gorgeous programme. Make sure you've got your tickets, and we'll see you next week!

Concert: 28 March, 3pm, St Paul's Church, Birmingham
Tickets: www.ticketsource.co.uk/birmingham-gay-symphony-orchestra


Photo:

Not long to go until our Spring concert, titled Stone to Sky. Which of our pieces are you most excited to hear? Let us k...
17/03/2026

Not long to go until our Spring concert, titled Stone to Sky. Which of our pieces are you most excited to hear? Let us know in the comments- and make sure you've got your tickets to hear them all on 28th March!

Concert: 28th March, 3pm, St Paul's Church, Birmingham
Tickets: www.ticketsource.co.uk/birmingham-gay-symphony-orchestra

13/03/2026

We can't wait to perform with marimba soloist Andrew Woolcock on 28th March - just look at his mallets go! Andy won the BBC Young Musician of the Year Percussion category when he was 16 years old; since then, he's gone on to study at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and is an all-round incredible performer.

Here's a video of him performing a piece for solo marimba: Caleidoscopio by Gene Kashinski. In just a couple of weeks he'll join BGSO for Ney Rosauro's Marimba Concerto No. 1, a piece infused with Brazilian sunshine and dance vibes. Get your tickets now!

Concert: Saturday 28 March, 3pm, St Paul's Church, Birmingham

Tickets: www.ticketsource.co.uk/birmingham-gay-symphony-orchestra
Video credit: Alex Henshaw

What's our conductor Neavan looking so happy about?! He's excited about BGSO's upcoming performance featuring soloist An...
10/03/2026

What's our conductor Neavan looking so happy about?! He's excited about BGSO's upcoming performance featuring soloist Andrew Woolcock (also looking happy on the right)!

Here are Neavan's thoughts on the programme: “Celebrating diversity is central to BGSO, and this programme shows the full range of what we do. From Beethoven to contemporary Brazil, and finishing with the soaring heights of Sibelius’ second symphony – it’s a brilliant journey. Ney Rosauro’s Marimba Concerto will be a real highlight – Andrew is such an electric performer, and this is a rare chance to hear this wonderful work live.”

Concert: Saturday 28 March, 3pm, St Paul's Church Birmingham

Tickets: www.ticketsource.co.uk/birmingham-gay-symphony-orchestra

Photo: Small Photography

Jean Sibelius's music has come to symbolise Finnish national identity. He was deeply inspired by the landscapes of his h...
02/03/2026

Jean Sibelius's music has come to symbolise Finnish national identity. He was deeply inspired by the landscapes of his homeland, and his Second Symphony evokes these epic vistas, from forests to lakes to ice to shimmering Northern lights. BGSO brings these landscapes to life on 28 March: which one do you want to experience? Tell us in the comments!

Tickets: bgso.org.uk

Proud to be the Midlands' LGBT orchestra. See us perform, join us and find out more.

A very loud French horn fanfare to remind you that this is the last week to get your early bird tickets to our March 28 ...
23/02/2026

A very loud French horn fanfare to remind you that this is the last week to get your early bird tickets to our March 28 concert! Make sure you book by 11.59pm on Friday to get your discounted ticket prices: www.ticketsource.co.uk/birmingham-gay-symphony-orchestra

Date: Saturday 28 March, 3pm
Location: St Paul's Church, B3 1QZ
Programme: Beethoven Ruins of Athens Overture, Ney Rosauro Marimba Concerto No. 1, Sibelius Symphony No. 2

Photo: Small Photographs

Thanks so much to our fantastic audience who came to BGSO at the Ballroom yesterday! The orchestra had so much fun party...
07/12/2025

Thanks so much to our fantastic audience who came to BGSO at the Ballroom yesterday! The orchestra had so much fun partying to a fun-packed programme, and our conductor Neavan definitely had his sparkliest dancing shoes on. Thank you for your support, and we’re looking forward to seeing you at our Spring concert on 28 March!

The BGSO WhatsApp thread is full of discussions about which is the most fabulous outfit and who can wear the most sequin...
05/12/2025

The BGSO WhatsApp thread is full of discussions about which is the most fabulous outfit and who can wear the most sequins... everyone's excited for our Strictly-themed concert tomorrow! So dust off your dancing shoes and join us at The Church at Carr's Lane at 3pm for BGSO at the Ballroom. 💃🪩 Book now or buy tickets on the door. https://www.bgso.org.uk/bgso-at-the-ballroom-winter-concert-20

Let BGSO sweep you off your feet with a concert of glamour, glitz and glitterballs! Tango with Piazzolla, waltz with Strauss, mambo with Bernstein, and much more... 

25/11/2025

Behind the scenes at BGSO, and it's our maestro himself! Hear what pieces Neavan's looking forward to conducting at our 6th December Strictly-themed concert. Tickets at www.bgso.org.uk

18/11/2025

Behind the scenes at BGSO: the Aladdin Suite is definitely a strong contender for our players' favourite piece! Hear BGSO perform the medley at our concert on 6th December, from the gorgeous romantic slow dance of 'A Whole New World' to the jazzy quickstep of 'Never had a friend like me'. More information: www.bgso.org.uk

15/11/2025

Next up behind the scenes at BGSO - our oboist Prashant is looking forward to playing Chabrier's Espana at our BGSO at the Ballroom concert on 6 December! Join us at the Church at Carr's Lane to hear us bring the Spanish sunshine to the dancefloor! More information at www.bgso.org

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