A major two-week festival will take place in October to mark the re-opening of Birmingham Town Hall which has lain in scaffolding-clad idleness for more than 11 years.
Brummies of a certain age are eagerly looking forward to the rebirth of one of Birmingham's great venues, but no one is looking forward to it more than Simon Wales, the new general manager of Birmingham Town Hall.
Simon was appointed to this key role last year. He was recruited from the London Symphony Orchestra where he was director of the orchestra's St Luke's Centre.
This converted and fitted out formerly derelict church close to the LSO's home at the Barbican was used for orchestra rehearsals, conferences and performances.
But under Simon's directorship it wasn't just a rehearsal and concert space. It was a vibrant centre for a wide range of music and community events. Bruce Springsteen played on stage there, as did the late soul singer James Brown. It was also the venue for free LSO symphony concerts and a wide range of educational programmes.
Linking a venue with the community it serves, particularly local schools and community groups is something which Simon Wales is particularly keen on, and something we can look forward to at the newly opened Town Hall.
The opening concerts in October cover a huge range of entertainment, and it's that mix which Simon hopes will set the tone for the Town Hall's future programmes. Concerts will feature jazz, pop, comedy, classical and world music. Artists appearing will include Ruby Turner, Soweto Kinch, Jasper Carrott, Bev Bevan, Robert Plant, Prof. Carl Chinn, the CBSO, Gilles Peterson, The Guillemots, Ex Cathedra, Drowsy Maggie, the BBC Big Band and city organist Thomas Trotter.
Simon sees the variety as a reflection of the Town Hall's past 160 year life in which it played host to Mendelssohn and Elgar, the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. But he hopes it will be more than that.
"It's such a great building, but it will be opening after more than 10 years during which Birmingham has changed so much. To be relevant it has got to stake its claim," he said.
The refurbishment of the1,100-capacity Town Hall has cost more than £35 million. The work has been funded by the National Lottery, Birmingham City Council and the European Regional Development Fund. The Town Hall was originally designed by Joseph Hanson who based it on the Temple of Castor and Pollux in Rome.
