If you ever need to drop us anything in the post, or fancy popping in for a splendid Mubu coffee, we now have a new home based at the wonderful Fazeley Studios in central Birmingham, set around a restored Victorian Gothic reception, spectacular courtyard and Icon Gallery …

Studio 8 - Fazeley Studios
191 Fazeley Street
Birmingham
B5 5SE

You can also find us here on Google Maps

We should initially point out that this performance was not arranged by Mubu (we’re waiting for the Democrat Government to enter office first), but we enjoyed the US Government’s foray into the music  and events industry this week, with this video of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice performing a classical piece of Brahms’ piano music for the Queen.

We haven’t yet approached Ms Rice’s successor Hillary Clinton to join the exclusive list of Mubu artists, but we plan to invite her over for an audition in the new year.

Failing that, you can still browse through our wonderful yet slightly less bureaucratic collection of artists and ensembles here, or get in touch with us to discuss an individual bespoke ensemble for your event.

One of the Midlands’ finest Victorian mansion retreats have chosen to work with Mubu as one of their recommended suppliers.

Highbury Hall, comissioned by Joseph Chamerlain in 1878, is now fully restored as a luxourious Grade II listed venue for conferences, banqueting and wedding receptions.

We’re pleased to have recently got some great feedback from the NHS Heart of England Foundation Trust, after Mubu programmed a series of artists and ensembles at NHS Heartlands, over several months last year.

Featuring a selection of trios and quartets for the Multicultural Music Festival, the programme included an Indian Tabla and Sarod ensemble, a Gypsy Jazz trio, a Jazz Vocal quartet, an Arabic Oud-based ensemble, plus a flamenco dance and guitar group.

Festival Director Esther Jackson … “We really do appreciate having musicians of such a high quality performing here – you are helping me and the music festival achieve all our goals.”

With their hotels cited as ‘a temple of sophistication‘, ‘the most glamourous hotel in the world‘ and ‘charming, beautiful, witty, friendly, stylish and very cool…‘, you can forgive us for being rather pleased that Firmdale Hotels have chosen Mubu to be one of their recommended suppliers.

Located thoughout central London, the exclusive award winning hotels include The Soho Hotel, Haymarket Hotel, Covent Garden Hotel and the Knightsbridge Hotel, in addition to Number Sixteen and The Pelham Hotel in Kensington, and Charlotte Street Hotel in Soho.

A winner of the 2006 Queens Award for Enterprise, Firmdale’s next project is the Crosby Street Hotel due to open in New York’s SoHo in early 2009.

Mubu provided an evening of jazz for the inaugural NUS Awards 2008, hosted by writer, journalist and BBC broadcaster John Sergeant at Birmingham’s ThinkTank, Millennium Point.

A joint initiative with Endsleigh Insurance, the NUS Awards brought together dozens of representative student bodies from throughout the UK in Further and Higher Education, with judging panels for the ten awards featuring Brendan Barber, General Secretary, TUC; Matt Haysom, CEO, Learning and Skills Council; Donald MacCleod, Editor, Education Guardian; Phil Baty, News Editor, Times Higher; Jeremy Dear, General Secretary, NUJ and Alastair Stewart, Broadcaster at ITN, amongst many others.

A new eclectic group of professionals working in the Creative Sector have come together to launch Creative Republic.  According to the Charter, Creative Republic passionately believe that a new representative body is needed to support the creative and cultural industries in Birmingham and the region, which is why we’ve set up Creative Republic.

Research¹ indicates that the total GVA (Gross Value Added) of the creative sector in the West Midlands was over £2.5bn back in 2001– and we’re still growing! It has also been suggested that the region could see 250,000 new jobs in the creative and cultural sector over the next seven years. So there’s work to be done to support that projected growth and have our say.’

You can sign-up to support the Charter and find out more about the group and future events at creativerepublic.org.uk