Party as city pulls out all the stops

Oct 19 2006 By Alison Dayani

BIRMINGHAM'S prized Symphony Hall organ celebrates its fifth birthday in an anniversary concert today.

Hundreds of Midlanders spent months raising £1.5 million to pay for the organ.

Crowds lined the canals to watch the organ's largest pipe arrive by narrowboat in 2000.

Now, five years on, Symphony Hall bosses have planned a fitting birthday treat for such a prized possession.

City organist Thomas Trotter will join forces with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra for a fifth anniversary concert at 7.30pm tonight.

Pupils from City Road Primary School and St Clare's Primary School have also been taking part in a special behind-the-scenes birthday tour.

"In the five years since its inauguration, as well as featuring in numerous concerts, the Symphony Organ has become the centrepiece of Symphony Hall's education programme," said a spokesman.

"The pupils were given a special behind-thescenes tour of Symphony Hall, which included an opportunity to play the Symphony Organ.

"They also designed birthday cards for the organ's fifth birthday."

Two winning designs are to be chosen by Symphony Hall's director, Andrew Jowett, and put on sale at the fifth birthday concert.

And 9ft tall sculptures designed by children at the two schools on the themes of Under the Sea and In the Jungle will add colour to the concert hall tonight.

Pipes for the organ were sent from Germany to Birmingham in July 2000.