Courtney Pine and Benjamin Zephaniah appointed patrons of The Drum Arts Centre, Aston, Birmingham.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

The musician Courtney Pine and the poet Benjamin Zephaniah have been appointed official patrons of The Drum Arts Centre in Aston, Birmingham. Press release attached.

Nathan Lunt, Marketing & Press Officer at The Drum has forwarded us the following press release;

Meet The Drum’s New Patrons - Benjamin Zephaniah and Courtney Pine

We are proud to announce that two phenomenal artists have agreed to become official Patrons of The Drum ? pioneering jazz player and musical ambassador Courtney Pine CBE, and Birmingham-born international poetry sensation Dr Benjamin Zephaniah.

We are delighted that Courtney Pine and Benjamin Zephaniah have chosen to lend us their support and encouragement for The Drum’s ongoing development, and in particular our Raising the Roof campaign. Both artists are long-time friends of Birmingham’s cultural scene, appearing and performing at The Drum in the past, and now helping ensure great future opportunities for our audiences and young people.

?It is a great honour to become a Patron of The Drum, particularly during the organisation’s twentieth anniversary. The Drum has evolved into an essential part of Birmingham’s cultural ecology, providing a creative intercultural platform in the UK’s most diverse city, which is home to Europe’s largest Under-16 population.

The Drum’s Raising the Roof campaign will increase the capacity of the Auditorium by a third, transforming it into a flexible, dynamic space? A place where individuals, groups and communities ? whatever their age, culture of social background ? will be welcome.

I do hope that you will join me in helping to make this visionary scheme a reality for young people in Birmingham.? - Courtney Pine CBE

?The Drum is the kind of place I would have liked to be around when I was growing up in Birmingham. It is so important to have places where young people can explore and develop their talent, which is exactly what The Drum’s Young Gifted Brum achieves so successfully.

Supporting The Drum means supporting some of the most disadvantaged communities in the UK by giving them the creative platform they deserve. To do that you need the right place with the right equipment, and that’s why I’m so excited about The Drum’s Raising the Roof campaign, which is going to create a flexible dynamic space fit for the 21st Century.

It’s such an honour to have become a Patron of The Drum, and I am proud to ask you to join me and help bring their vision to reality. That’s what we do. We Keep it Real. ? ? Dr Benjamin Zephaniah

Raising the Roof is a revolutionary £4.8 million plan to redesign, refurbish and upgrade The Drum with new features, facilities and equipment, including expanding our Auditorium capacity, and most importantly, improving and upgrading our services and facilities for young people working in Digital Arts, Dance, and Drama.

Raising the Roof will increase The Drum’s Auditorium capacity to nearly 500 seated and 1000 standing, as well as improved audio visual equipment, and a spectacular new balcony area.
 
Our vision is for The Drum to be a major national arts center, as well as a focal point for community-led arts, and with the support of Patrons and our audiences, we look forward to a bright new future.

To find out how you can help in Raising the Roof, contact The Drum on 0121 333 2422

About our Patrons:

Courtney Pine

One of Britain’s most celebrated jazz artists, Courtney Pine began touring when he was just 16, and has been enthralling audience for nearly thirty years. Pine made an immediate name for himself in the jazz world aged just 22, with the release his debut album Journey to the Urge Within in 1986, selling an unprecedented 250 thousand copies and providing a platform to new British black jazz musicians.

He also gained recognition for his celebration of his Caribbean roots and reggae influences with 1990’s Closer to Home, and further distinguished himself with his incredible multi-instrumental skills, playing saxophone, flute, keyboards, clarinet and bass clarinet.

He has since released or collaborated on nearly twenty albums and performed around the world, blending influences from Eastern Europe, Spain, Norway, Russia, Turkey and Budapest with contemporary jazz styles to create a unique fusion sound, and has further distinguished himself by his enthusiastic embrace of modern music including drum n’ base and UK garage.

Despite being kicked out of his music A-level and told there was “no point” in him trying to reach university, he is now a Professor of Music at Thames Valley University, with honorary doctorates at Westminster and Southampton, as well as receiving an OBE and CBE for services to jazz music.

?It is a great honour to become a Patron of The Drum, particularly during the organisation’s twentieth anniversary. The Drum has evolved into an essential part of Birmingham’s cultural ecology, providing a creative and intercultural platform and voice for disadvantaged and BAME communities in the UK’s most diverse city and region, which is home to Europe’s largest Under-16 population and some of the most deprived wards in the UK.

The Drum’s Raising the Roof campaign will increase the capacity of the Auditorium by a third, transforming its space into one that is flexible, dynamic and fit-for purpose. A place where individuals, groups and communities ? whatever their age, culture of social background ? will be welcome.

I do hope that you will join me in helping to make this visionary scheme a reality for young people in Birmingham.? - Courtney Pine CBE

Benjamin Zephaniah

Named by The Times as one of Britain’s 50 greatest postwar writers, Benjamin Zephaniah is without doubt one of the most influential and energising modern poets of the last century, putting Birmingham on the map with his prolific output of sensitive, socially conscious poetry, drawing attention to societal issues and celebrating multiculturalism and liberty.

Born and raised in Handsworth, which he called the “Jamaican capital of Europe”, Zephaniah began performing at just 11, and by 15 was already known among Handsworth’s Afro-Caribbean and Asian communities for his energetic ?street politics? poetry. Leaving school at only 13 due to dyslexia, Zephaniah’s experiences of exclusion and social limitations had a profound influence on his work, making it his mission to ?take poetry everywhere? and fight the dead image of poetry in academia by turning poetry readings into concert-like performances.

Zephaniah has always been a socially aware artist, never afraid to speak his mind and stand up for a cause he believes in. His 1985 collection, The Dread Affair, contained several poems attacking the British legal system, whilst his phenomenal 2001 collection Too Black, Too Strong encompassed youth disenfranchisement and institutionalised racism. In 1996 Zephaniah was asked by President Nelson Mandela to host his Two Nations Concert at the Royal Albert Hall, Mandela having heard Zephaniah’s and The Wailers’ tribute to him on his 1982 album Rasta whilst still in prison.

Zephaniah has championed a huge range of causes, including veganism and animal rights, sexual and gender equality, anti-racism and anti-colonialism, with his 2002 collection We Are Britain! celebrating all forms of cultural diversity in Britain.

In addition to producing over thirty published collections, ten albums, and being considered for positions as Poet Laureate and Professor of Poetry at Oxford University, Zephaniah has been awarded honorary doctorates by seven different universities, including the University of Birmingham, and continues to support educational projects across the world.

?The Drum is the kind of place I would have liked to be around when I was growing up in Birmingham. It is so important to have places where young people can explore and develop their talent. If what you do is rooted in your community and the real world, that is always going to inspire young people, which is exactly what The Drum’s Young Gifted Brum achieves so successfully.

Supporting The Drum means supporting some of the most disadvantaged communities in the UK and releasing that talent to the wider world by giving them the creative platform they deserve. To do that you need the right place with the right equipment, and that’s why I’m so excited about The Drum’s Raising the Roof campaign, which is going to create a flexible dynamic space fit for the 21st Century.

That’s why it’s such an honour to have become a Patron of The Drum, and I am proud to ask you to join me and help bring their vision to reality. That’s what we do. We Keep it Real. ? ? Dr Benjamin Zephaniah

? Venue: The Drum, 144 Potters Lane, Aston, Birmingham, B6 4UU
? Box Office: 0121 333 2444
? Website and online bookings: http://www.the-drum.org.uk 
? Facebook: The Drum, Birmingham
? Twitter: The_Drum
? Flickr: The Drum Arts Centre

About The Drum:

The Drum is the UK’s premier intercultural arts centre dedicated to the development, presentation and celebration of arts and cultural activities of Birmingham’s diverse communities for the benefit of all.
 
   

  The Drum
144 Potters Lane
Aston
Birmingham
B6 4UU