THE very first concert broadcasts from the brand new Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Concert Hall will be made by BBC Radio 3 starting on January 9.

BBC Radio 3 has chosen the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, part of Birmingham City University, to record a series of four lunchtime recitals by its exceptional New Generation Artists.

BBC Radio 3 Editor, Emma Bloxham, said: "It’s a real honour for our BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists to perform in this wonderful new space, which fittingly has the championing of young talent at its very core.

"I was lucky enough to visit the building last year when it was being built, and I’m delighted that I’m able to return now to see the spectacular finished result.”

Professor Julian Lloyd Webber, principal of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, said: “We’re thrilled that BBC Radio 3 have chosen to present this series showcasing the astonishing talent of these brilliant young professional performers.

"I want to encourage the whole of Birmingham to come and hear them and, at the same time, get the chance to experience our fantastic new Concert Hall in action.”

The BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists Scheme helps support talented musicians to reach the next stages of their careers and brings some of the world’s most promising young talent to listeners across the UK through BBC Radio 3 broadcasts.

The four concerts will be broadcast from 30 January to 2 February on BBC Radio 3 and will also be available for thirty days after broadcast via the Radio 3 website and the BBC iPlayer Radio app.