Classical music in Birmingham began in the late Middle Ages, mainly devotional music which did not survive the Reformation. Evidence is scant until the years following the Restoration of the Monarchy in 1660, when Birmingham's economy boomed. This was reflected in the scientific and cultural awakening known as the Midlands Enlightenment. The first sign of this transformation was the opening of the baroque St Philip's Church in 1715, which had a fine organ that attracted gifted musicians to the town.
By the middle of the 18th century, Birmingham supported a diverse musical calendar, including festivals of oratorio featuring 40-piece orchestras. Further festivals were held in 1780 and 1784, after which the Birmingham Triennial Music Festival would become a regular event every three years, with only two interruptions, until 1914. Music was written for the festival by Mendelssohn, Gounod, Sullivan, Dvořák, Bantock, and Elgar, who wrote four choral pieces for Birmingham. By the 1850s, the festival had become world renowned.
Today, Birmingham hosts the internationally renowned City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, and Ex Cathedra, one of the country's oldest early-music and Baroque period instrument ensembles. The Birmingham Opera Company specialises in staging innovative performances in unusual venues, once performing in a burnt-out ice rink.