ELO's famous silver cello is donated to Royal Birmingham Conservatoire by former band member

The silver electric cello that featured in many of Electric Light Orchestra’s hits in the 1970s has been donated to the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire by former band member Mel Gale.

The instrument, which has been signed by Gale, joins the Richard Tandy memorabilia collection, which was given to college last year and is now housed in a production suite named in honour of former ELO keyboard player Tandy.

The suite already features instruments and studio equipment used by ELO’s keyboardist, alongside his gold records and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame statue.

Gale, who played cello for ELO from 1975-1980, decided to donate the instrument after watching a concert to commemorate Tandy, held at the conservatoire in November last year.

“After watching the Richard Tandy tribute concert, I thought the conservatoire students were so brilliant, and I remembered I had the cello sitting in a cupboard at home,” he said.

“There was no such thing as an electric cello when ELO was performing, so we made one.”

Gale praised the Richard Tandy production suite.

“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,” he said.

Tandy, who died in 2024 at the age of 76, also has a scholarship in his name, made possible by a donation from his widow, Sheila, and a fundraising campaign led by ELO founder Jeff Lynne.

Stephen Maddock, principal of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, said: “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.

“I’m proud that RBC delivers an environment where students can be just as creative and inventive with music, following in the footsteps of Mel and Richard, and scores of other artists from this most musical of cities.”

Gale was joined by former ELO drummer Bev Befan and violinist Mik Kaminski during his visit to the conservatoire, which is part of Birmingham City University.

During the visit, fourth-year BA Music student Tehya Dawson and her string quartet performed for the band.

“It was nerve-wracking playing my own arrangements of rock tunes to three rock’n’roll greats, but it was such a fun experience,” said Tehya.

“They even came back to our rehearsal to listen to more, offered feedback, and asked about our future plans. It was a real privilege.”

Conservatoire studio manager Matthew O’Malley added: “Receiving this iconic, road-worn cello is nothing less than taking custody of a piece of rock’n’roll history.

“This remarkable instrument toured the world throughout the 1970s, championing the music of one of Birmingham’s most celebrated musical exports.

“It stands as a striking example of the technical innovation required to successfully fuse classical instrumentation into a live rock band setting.”