6 Ticket £26, £23. Concession £24, £21 | Magfest Explorer £5.
06 - A Journey Beyond Time: O Duo, RBC Percussion
June 20, 2026 at 7:30pm. Duration: 70 mins
St Magnus Cathedral, Broad Street, KW15 1DH
Susanna Fairbairn Soprano
Owen Gunnell O Duo
Toby Kearney O Duo
Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Percussion
James Keefe Piano
John Psathas Fragment
Steven Reich Music for Pieces of Wood
Gemma Peacocke Death Wish
George Crumb American Songbook II
A Journey Beyond Time
In the round
The visionary composer George Crumb’s atmospheric and spectacular work is at the centre of the concert examining the African American song repertoire in his American Songbook II. Surrounding familiar melodies such as Swing Low and Steal Away are surrounded by a halo of percussion and piano with an array of instruments filling the nave of St Magnus Cathedral. As well as new pieces by Peacocke and Psathas, the concert includes the iconic work by Steve Reich.
Percussionists of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire have made a name for themselves as performers of ambitious, cutting-edge works, often using multi-media to explode non-traditional works giving them new life and led by their professors Toby Kearney and Owen Gunnell.
Photo credit Alex Henshaw