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Sir Simon Rattle has long said that a conductor is the only performing musician who does not have an instrument on which to practise.

But nowadays orchestras are bending over backwards to encourage and welcome young conductors, whether they are amateur ensembles anxious to tick the right educational boxes which will secure funding, or professional outfits who see it as their remit to reach out.

And the CBSO is going way down that road in its cultivation of ambitious young conductors.

One spin-off from the establishment of the remarkable CBSO Youth Orchestra is its sleek hand-picked Academy, with attendant conducting masterclasses taken by Michael Seal, CBSO associate conductor who has himself risen from the ranks of the parent orchestra’s second violins to become an internationally-acclaimed presence on the podium.

One of those masterclass hopefuls was Alpesh Chauhan, who has now won the accolade of being appointed the CBSO’s first-ever conducting fellow, a year-long professional development opportunity.

This will offer the fortunate young man unprecedented access to some of the best musicians in the world and Alpesh is thrilled at the chance he has been offered.

“I’m very excited at the announcement of this prestigious post with the CBSO and to be the first person to take it up. I feel extremely privileged to hold this position of learning, developing and working alongside my home team,” he says.

And this really is his home team. Alpesh’s family home is in Hall Green, where he went to the local primary school before going on to Handsworth Grammar School.