Accountancy, investment management and tax group Smith & Williamson has announced a 12-month sponsorship deal with the world-famous City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO).
The firm’s Birmingham office, which is situated in Colmore Row, in the heart of the city’s professional district, has become a platinum sponsor of the orchestra.
The sponsorship, which runs until April 2019, includes exclusive sponsorship of November’s UK premiere of Roxanna Panufnik’s choral work ‘Faithful Journey – A Mass for Poland’, written to mark the 100th anniversary of Poland regaining its independence.
The composer’s father Andrzej became principal conductor of the CBSO when he fled communist Poland in the 1950s.
Mirga Gražinyte-Tyla, the orchestra’s renowned music director, will conduct the concert at Birmingham Symphony Hall on Wednesday, 21 November. The second half will feature highlights from Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet ‘The Nutcracker’.
John Hodgson, partner and head of tax and business services at Smith & Williamson in Birmingham, said:
“The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is a beacon of cultural life in Birmingham and the West Midlands – and one of the world’s great orchestras. “Smith & Williamson has deep roots within the city’s business, professional and social life, and so our sponsorship of the CBSO is a natural fit for us at a time when our Birmingham office is experiencing a period of rapid growth.”
Mark Willis, partner and head of investment management at Smith & Williamson in Birmingham added:
“It’s a real honour to be sponsoring one of the world’s leading symphony orchestras and I look forward to forging a fruitful partnership with the team at CBSO.”
Stephen Maddock, chief executive, CBSO said:
“We are delighted to welcome Smith & Williamson as sponsors, especially for such a highlight of the 2018-19 season. “We are looking forward to sharing this special concert with them and, as we move towards our centenary in 2020, working together to celebrate their investment in the city and the orchestra at such an important time in both of our histories.”