Birmingham Contemporary Music Group

BCMG is one of the worlds leading performing ensembles commissioning new work from today's most exciting composers. BCMG is passionate about involving and supporting people of all ages, abilities and backgrounds in the creation and performance of new music. This is done through a variety of innovative projects evolved from collaborations between BCMG players, composers, teachers, education organisations and young people.

In practical terms this translates into:

Composing projects with young people in school and out of school and in higher education (Birmingham University and Birmingham Conservatoire); writing music for BCMG players with guidance from composers; encouraging them to write music demanding highly skilled players and to imagine and hear music beyond what is usually possible.

BCMG players and conductors coach young performers and non-professionals in existing contemporary music repertoire and commissioning new repertoire to allow professional musicians to play alongside young performers.

Community music projects, in particular working with deaf young people, as part of the Birmingham Youth Music Action Zone, based around repertoire from BCMG concerts and with other organisations such as Sound It Out Community Music in projects addressing social exclusion and regeneration.

Exchanging Notes, a think tank project which brings together composers, teachers and educationalists to explore and develop the pedagogy of teaching composition in secondary schools.