A sound investment: BCMG's new season

Birmingham Contemporary Music Group's (BCMG) 2016/17 season starts on 15 October 2016 at the Wigmore Hall, with the first of two BCMG concerts devoted to the music of Helen Grime. Grime was first commissioned by BCMG in 2009, and the concert will feature her music alongside composers who have profoundly influenced her. Grime is currently Composer-in-Residence at the Wigmore Hall, the concert on 15 October 2016 is part of a day devoted to Grime's music.

BCMG returns to its regular home CBSO Centre, Birmingham for a concert devoted to the music of Kevin Volans on 15 November 2016 when the Signum Quartet give world premiere of Volans’ String Quartet No. 12, and pianist Barry Douglas joins BCMG for the world premiere of Volans' Piano Concerto No. 4.

This season marks the 25th anniversary of BCMG's Sound Investment scheme, a pioneering fundraising scheme that introduced the concept of ‘crowd-funding’ long before the word had even entered the lexicon. Since 1991, over 400 people in the UK and internationally, have supported Sound Investment, collectively donating more than a quarter of a million pounds to the creation of new music. The 2016/17 season includes world premieres of works for voice and ensemble by Colin Matthews and emerging Spanish composer, Francisco Coll, plus recent and earlier Sound Investment commissions from composers Thomas Adès, Simon Holt, Gerald Barry, Richard Baker and Zoë Martlew.

A special 25th Anniversary concert, conducted by former BCMG Music Director Thomas Adès takes place on Saturday 10 December at CBSO Centre, Birmingham, and features the world premiere of a new work by Patrick Brennan, BCMG/Sound and Music Embedded Composer.

BCMG’s 2016-17 season also marks the arrival of the ensemble’s new artistic director, Stephan Meier, and new Executive Producer, Caroline Newton