The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (RBC) has received the donation of a unique silver electric cello from cellist Mel Gale, who performed on the instrument during his time with British rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) from 1975–1980. The band was formed in Birmingham in 1970.
‘There was no such thing as an electric cello when ELO was performing, so we made one,’ said Gale.
Together with ELO bandmates, drummer Bev Bevan and violinist Mik Kaminski, Gale visited RBC on 18 March and was treated to a performance of rock music arranged by RBC student Tehya Dawson and played by her quartet.
RBC houses the memorabilia collection of ELO keyboardist Richard Tandy, who died in 2024. The cello will join the collection in the Richard Tandy Production Suite alongside gold records, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame statue, as well equipment and instruments formerly belonging to Tandy.
A scholarship is also offered in Tandy’s name, funded by his wife Sheila and a fundraising campaign by ELO founder and frontman Jeff Lynne.
Gale decided to donate the cello following an RBC performance in November last year:
‘After watching the Richard Tandy tribute concert, I thought the RBC students were so brilliant, and I remembered I had the cello sitting in a cupboard at home,’ he said. ‘The Richard Tandy production suite is brilliant. The facilities here are so much more diverse than what I had when I was studying music and I hope it’ll inspire future musicians to be enthusiastic and passionate about what they create.’
RBC principal Stephen Maddock expressed his gratitude for the donations:
‘It’s wonderful to see Richard’s generous gift of instruments and memorabilia inspiring other music icons to do the same… They are creating an archive that will benefit future generations of students and fans.
‘This cello is a symbol of ELO’s pioneering creativity, fusing classical and pop genres not just in their sound but also with their equipment and instruments.’