Birmingham Royal Ballet director Carlos Acosta awarded seat dedication at city's Symphony Hall

Carlos is only the second artist to have a seat named after him by the venue, with the first being singer Tony Bennett.

Speaking about his seat dedication, Carlos said: “It’s a huge honour to have a seat dedicated to me in the iconic Symphony Hall, not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined this happening.

"I’m very grateful for this recognition and I only feel further inspired to do my very best for the city of Birmingham.”

The honour comes ahead of the company's A Valentines Celebration Evening of Music and Dance on Friday.

The Valentine's Day performance marks Carlos’ first public appearance as Birmingham Royal Ballet’s director, where he will introduce the evening before handing over to the night’s compere, BBC One’s Midlands Today Presenter, Nick Owen.

The evening will include orchestral highlights from Puccini, Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky as well as sumptuous pas de deux from the romantic classical canon, including Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, Don Quixote and a world premiere of choreography by Birmingham Royal Ballet first soloist Kit Holder.

Nick Reed, CEO of Town Hall Symphony Hall said: “We are delighted to mark Carlos Acosta’s arrival in Birmingham by gifting a seat plaque in Symphony Hall.

"Carlos’ appointment as Director has really captured the imagination of the city, and is sure to have a positive impact within the arts and culture community in the West Midlands.

"As hosts of the annual Evening of Music and Dance production, we’ve maintained a wonderful relationship with Birmingham Royal Ballet – we look forward to it going from strength to strength.”