Editing Adrian Boult (section)

===Birmingham===
[[file:Adrian-Boult-1921.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=young white man with receding dark hair and large dark moustache|Boult in the early 1920s]]
In 1923 Boult conducted the first season of the [[Robert Mayer (philanthropist)|Robert Mayer]] concerts for children, but his participation in the following season was prevented by his appointment in 1924 as conductor of the Birmingham Festival Choral Society. This led to his becoming musical director of the [[City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra|City of Birmingham Orchestra]],<ref name=grove/> where he remained in charge for six years, attracting widespread attention with his adventurous programmes.<ref name=dnb/>

The advantage of the Birmingham post was that for the first time in his life Boult not only had his own orchestra, but sole control of programming as well; the only time in his life, he later said, when that was so.<ref>Kennedy, p. 100</ref> The disadvantages were that the orchestra was inadequately funded, the available venues (including the Town Hall) were unsatisfactory, the ''[[Birmingham Post]]'''s music critic, A. J. Symons, was a constant thorn in Boult's side, and the local concert-going public had conservative tastes.<ref>Kennedy, pp. 100–03 and 129</ref> Despite this conservatism, Boult programmed as much innovative music as was practical, including works by [[Gustav Mahler|Mahler]], [[Igor Stravinsky|Stravinsky]] and [[Anton Bruckner|Bruckner]]. Such departures from the repertoire expected by the regular concert-goers depressed the box-office takings, requiring subsidies from private benefactors, including Boult's family.<ref>Kennedy, p. 113</ref>

While at Birmingham Boult had the opportunity to conduct a number of operas, chiefly with the [[British National Opera Company]], for which he conducted ''[[Die Walküre]]'' and ''[[Otello]]''. He also conducted a diverse range of operas from such composers as [[Henry Purcell|Purcell]], Mozart and Vaughan Williams.<ref>Kennedy, pp. 107–11</ref> In 1928 he succeeded Vaughan Williams as conductor of the [[The Bach Choir|Bach Choir]] in London, a position he held until 1931.<ref name=dnb/>