The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) gave its first performance in 1920, conducted by Sir Edward Elgar. Since then it has had a number of resident conductors, the most well-known being Sir Simon Rattle. The current conductor is the Finnish Sakari Oramo.
They give regular concerts in Birmingham's Symphony Hall and across the country. The orchestra's rehearsal space is the specially-constructed CBSO Centre on Berkeley Street. The CBSO's choruses also rehearse here: the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus, an auditioned amateur chorus formed in 1973; the City of Birmingham Symphony Youth chorus, divided into two separate choirs, the Junior (age 8-12) and Senior (girls aged 13-18) Choruses; and the unauditioned City of Birmingham Young Voices (members aged 13-21). The choruses perform independently and together in collaborations with each other, the Symphony Orchestra and other orchestras and choruses.
More information can be found on their website, http://www.cbso.co.uk.
Albert Herring says Worth mentioning that Rattle dragged up a mediocre provincial band to become a world class orchestra. It was quite spectacular at the time...
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