The singer-songwriter swaps guitars for orchestra in Homeland, capturing the spirit and rhythm of the city she calls home.
Joan Armatrading is turning her musical talent towards classical music once again, this time with a piece she calls a love letter to Birmingham.
Titled Homeland, the 15-minute composition will receive its debut performance at the Bringing The Light concert on December 7, performed by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and CBSO Chorus under conductor Michael Seal at Symphony Hall.
Armatrading, 74, first moved to Birmingham from the Caribbean island of St Kitts when she was seven. She taught herself piano and guitar as a child, writing her own songs by 14, before becoming one of the UK’s most celebrated singer-songwriters in the 70s and 80s.
“Homeland is a piece that highlights the city of Birmingham and its people, reflecting their strong sense of community, resilience and warmth,” Armatrading said. “It is a love letter to a place to which I am bonded and one I will always hold with affection and pride.”
She added that the piece “weaves together the sounds, energy and rhythms of the city while reaching out into its vast surrounding countryside… This is Birmingham not simply as a backdrop, but as a living, breathing presence – an often-underrated landscape where industry and nature exist side by side in quiet beauty.”
This isn’t Armatrading’s first venture into classical music; her Symphony No. 1 premiered at London’s Southbank Centre in 2023. Beyond classical, she made history as the first female UK artist nominated for a Grammy in the blues category, and in 2020 she received the Ivors Academy’s highest honour, a fellowship.
Homeland promises to be a heartfelt tribute from one of Britain’s most versatile songwriters, now bringing her signature storytelling to a whole new musical landscape.
