History of the Feeney Commissions

The Feeney Trust started commissioning orchestral works for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra in 1955. The first composer commissioned was Sir Arthur Bliss, Master of the Queen's Music, who based his Meditations on a Theme by John Blow on a fine melody which he came across in a volume of Musica Britannica, sent to him by Anthony Lewis. Anthony Lewis was Professor of Music at The University of Birmingham and a member of the Committee which proposed possible composers for the Trust to approach.

Tippett's Piano Concerto

Michael Tippett's Piano Concerto, premiered in the following year, soon became established as an important work. Steven Osborne, whose 2007 recording of the Concerto has received glowing reviews, describes it as 'certainly one of the most important concertos of the second half of the 20th Century'.

Late '50s and early '60s

The late '50s and early '60s saw new symphonies from Edmund Rubbra, Lennox Berkeley, Alan Rawsthorne, Humphrey Searle, Robert Simpson and Peter Racine Fricker - an impressive list of high profile commissions, which earned the CBSO considerable kudos.

The '70s and '80s

The list of Feeney Commissions continued to grow through the '70s, receiving an extra boost when the young Simon Rattle became Music Director in 1980. In his time, both Mark-Anthony Turnage and Thomas Adès received their first major orchestral commissions from the Feeney Trust.

Since then...

The Feeney Trust has continued to fund new commissions from the CBSO, and has also widened the scope of its commissioning, firstly to support other Birmingham-based musical organisations. The first of these was the commissioning of the musical score by composer John McCabe for David Bintley's two-part ballet Arthur for Birmingham Royal Ballet. More recently the Trust has widened its scope still further and now supports new works created for public performance, exhibition or publication in Birmingham in any art form. The Trust has supported commissions by Ex Cathedra, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Celebrating Sanctuary, Flatpack Festival, mac, Surge Forward, Friction Arts, Birmingham Bach Choir, Women & Theatre, Cross Currents Festival, sampad, Birmingham Symphonic Winds, Birmingham Opera Company and the CBSO Youth Orchestra.

Feeney Trust's commissions continue to make an outstanding contribution to Birmingham and the UK's cultural life.

Commissions in progress

Birmingham Royal Ballet was awarded £5,000 in 2002 to contribute to the commissioning of a new ballet celebrating Birmingham’s musical heritage. Black Sabbath - The Ballet will premiere in September 2023.

mac’s 2019 commission of an ambitious new work by international, renowned indigo textile artist Aboubakar Fofana, from Mali was impacted by the closure of the arts centre due to Covid 19. The new sculptural work will be exhibited in early 2024.

A complete list of Feeney Commissions

A complete list of past Feeney commissions can be found here as a PDF document