bcmg concerts, workshops and events sept 2011 - jan 2012

Stay in touch

www.facebook.com/bcmgfans

www.twitter.com/bcmg @bcmg

Sunday 25 September: Harrison Birtwistle, Silvina Milstein,

Luigi Dallapiccola, Arnold Schoenberg

Sunday 13 November: Karlheinz Stockhausen, Luciano Berio

Friday 2 December: Peter Wiegold

Saturday 21 January: György Ligeti, John Cage, John Woolrich,

Steve Reich, Iannis Xenakis, Morton Feldman, Lou Harrison, Seán Clancy C

once

rts,

Wor

ksho

ps a

nd E

vent

s

ww

w.b

cmg.

org.

uk‘…enjoy BCMG’s flair and lust for adventure: they’re among the best new music groups around.’ The Times

Join our mailing list

Today’s Composers, Tomorrow’s Music

Sep

tem

ber 2

011

– J

anua

ry 2

012

2 Ticket line: 0121 767 4050

Small is beautiful: the set of 34 little violin duets Luciano Berio wrote as teaching pieces – each a gem – are also finely etched portraits of friends. We juxtapose them with the 12 other-worldly melodies of Stockhausen’s ‘Zodiac’ pieces; the captivating whole is introduced by John Woolrich. Peter Wiegold has spent a lifetime composing ‘live’ with players, creating music out of the air; we share his discoveries and his music in a special quintet performance with conversation over a glass of wine.

Earlier, Oliver Knussen launches the season with a premiere by the Argentinian Silvina Milstein, a former pupil of Judith Weir whose music radiates colour. Schoenberg, Dallapiccola and Birtwistle make up a sumptuous programme. Director and film-maker Tim Hopkins returns to add more magic to our Family Concerts in January, a panoply of percussion culminating in Ligeti’s amazing tour-de-force With Pipes, Drums, Fiddles, sung by Loré Lixenberg.

Later in the season we’ll have Gérard Grisey’s great work Quatre Chants pour franchir le seuil, Gerald Barry’s newest opera with Thomas Adès, and Oliver Knussen’s 60th birthday concert, complete with his most recent piece and a new piano concerto by Tansy Davies; more on all these in our next brochure.

Stephen NewbouldBCMG Artistic Director

This brochure is available free of charge (on-request) in large-print, Braille, on audiocassette, CD or by email. Please contact Tim Rushby, Marketing Manager: [email protected] / 0121 616 2619 / BCMG, CBSO Centre, Berkley Street, Birmingham, B1 2LF

Introduction to our 2011/12 Season

Birmingham Contemporary Music Group was formed in 1987 from within the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and is established as one of Europe’s leading ensembles. Sir Simon Rattle is our Founding Patron and we have composers Oliver Knussen and John Woolrich as Artists-in-Association.

Internationally acclaimed and a proud ambassador for Birmingham, the core of our work is the commissioning and performance of new music. We have premiered over 140 new works by leading international composers, giving more than 500 performances of those pieces. Most have been commissioned with the help of a large number of individuals through our ground-breaking Sound Investment scheme (see page 11 for more details).

We are passionate about engaging the widest possible range of people with our work and run extensive learning and audience-building programmes. As well as Family & Schools’ Concerts, these include projects with young people in and out of school, with adults in a range of community settings and free performance projects such as our Urban Tours in outer districts of Birmingham (Learning programme information on page 10).

BCMG broadcasts often on BBC Radio, has made TV programmes for BBC and Independent Television, and CD recordings for EMI, Cantaloupe and NMC.

About Birmingham Contemporary Music Group

‘BCMG’s performances startle with their technical assurance and expressive conviction.’The Guardian

Stephen Newbould, BCMG Artistic Director

Online: www.bcmg.org.uk 3

As well as concerts BCMG runs fun music-making workshops for young people throughout the year.

Music Maze for 8 – 11 year olds

A series of 8 creative, participatory workshops that take place at CBSO Centre and link to music from BCMG’s concerts. All young people are welcome whether you can play a musical instrument or not. Each workshop culminates in a performance for parents and family. Children who attend receive a free ticket and a concessionary one for a parent/guardian to come to the linked BCMG concert.

Zigzag Ensemble for 12 – 16 year olds

A series of 8 workshops that take place at the same time as Music Maze. These fun workshops explore composing and improvising within an ensemble. Young people need to be able to play a musical instrument and read a little bit of music notation. Participants receive free tickets for BCMG concerts.

Feel the Buzz for 14 – 18 year olds

Create music with other young people, top composers and BCMG musicians. These two-day workshops are an amazing opportunity to learn new ways to compose and develop musical ideas.

Concerts, workshops and events included in this brochure…

Of Gold and ShadowsSunday 25 September 2011, 7.30pmA concert with Silvina Milstein’s Sound Investment commission world premiere at its heart, plus music by Harrison Birtwistle, Luigi Dallapiccola and Arnold Schoenberg. Page 4Free workshops related to this concert:Music Maze and Zigzag Ensemble Sunday 18 September 2011, Page 5

Feel the BuzzSaturday 29 October 2011, 10am – 4pm, Trefoil HouseSunday 30 October 2011, 10am – 6pm, CBSO CentreAn exciting composing and improvising project for 14-18 year olds taking place over two days. Page 5

Families@4Sunday 13 November 2011, 4pmA bite-sized interactive concert for young people and families that will explore music from the evening programme. Page 7

Portraits and Star SignsSunday 13 November 2011, 7.30pmAn intimate concert juxtaposing uniquely personal works from two of the 20th century’s greatest composers. Page 6Free workshops related to this concert:Music Maze and Zigzag EnsembleSunday 6 November 2011, Page 7

BEAST: WavesSaturday 19 & Sunday 20 November 2011, various timesBEAST presents a weekend of electro-acoustic sound using its spectacular multi-channel diffusion system. Page 7

An evening of music and conversation with Peter WiegoldFriday 2 December 2011, 8pmPeter Wiegold in conversation with Stephen Newbould, plus a devised/improvised quartet programme. Page 8Free workshops related to this concert:Music Maze and Zigzag EnsembleSunday 27 November 2011, Page 9

Box of Delights BCMG Family ConcertsSaturday 21 January 2012, 1.30pm and 4pmOur hour-long, fun, colourful and engaging concerts introduce young people to the exciting world of contemporary music by weaving theatre and film with the music. Page 9Free workshops related to this concert:Family Music Maze and Zigzag EnsembleSunday 8 January 2012, Page 9

…and in our next brochure

Musicians Wrestle EverywhereFriday 3 February 2012, 7.30pmJudith Weir’s first Sound Investment commission, the world premiere of Apprentice Composer-in-Residence, Seán Clancy’s new piece, plus music by Gerald Barry and Gérard Grisey.Free workshops related to this concert:Music Maze and Zigzag EnsembleSunday 29 January 2012

BCMG Chamber PlayersFriday 2 March 2012, 7.30pmA concert of miniature masterpieces by a wide range of composers, including Thomas Adès, Philip Cashian, Tansy Davies and Franco Donatoni.

The Importance of Being EarnestSaturday 28 April 2012, 7pmSymphony Hall

Thomas Adès conducts BCMG and a stellar cast of singers in the Birmingham premiere performance of Gerald Barry’s new opera.Free workshops related to this concert:Music Maze and Zigzag EnsembleSunday 1 April 2012

Oliver Knussen’s 60th Birthday ConcertFriday 25 May 2012, 7.30pmA richly deserved birthday concert for BCMG’s Artist-in-Association, with a programme including Knussen’s most recent composition and the world premiere of Tansy Davies’ current Sound Investment commission.Free workshops related to this concert:Music Maze and Zigzag EnsembleSunday 13 May 2012

Music Maze and Zigzag EnsembleSunday 10 June 2012

Season OverviewBirmingham Contemporary Music Group’s activities in Birmingham during our 2011/12 season. For additional information on concerts beyond January 2012, please visit www.bcmg.org.uk All concerts, workshops and events at CBSO Centre unless otherwise stated.

BCMG Family Concert

Free music workshops!

BCMG Family Concert

4 Ticket line: 0121 767 4050

Sunday 25 September 2011, 7.30pm,CBSO Centre

Conductor: Oliver KnussenBaritone: Leigh Melrose *ProgrammeHarrison Birtwistle: The World is DiscoveredHarrison Birtwistle: Dinah and Nick’s Love SongSilvina Milstein: de oro y sombra ... (of gold and shadows ...) (BCMG Sound Investment commission / world premiere)Luigi Dallapiccola: Preghiere * Arnold Schoenberg: Serenade Op. 24 * The jewel at the heart of this opening concert of the season is the world premiere of Silvina Milstein’s Sound Investment commission de oro y sombra ... (of gold and shadows ...). BCMG Artist-in-Association, Oliver Knussen is a champion of Silvina’s music. Argentinian born, previous works by Milstein have used characteristic rhythms, turns-of-phrases, and sounds from Argentinian popular music (tango, milonga, bolero), embodying them in textures inspired by the music of early 20th century Vienna (Schoenberg, Berg and Webern). Scored for two flutes, clarinet, two horns, two trumpets, harp and six strings, Silvina’s Sound Investment commission continues an exploration that began with her 2008 composition surrounded by distance, where

she was drawn to explore ‘the seemingly precise manner in which musical shapes and configurations arise spontaneously’.

Silvina is a senior lecturer at King’s College London with a particular interest in the music of Arnold Schoenberg. Whilst Milstein’s piece is the newest in the programme, Schoenberg’s Serenade is the oldest - this series of hyper-expressive marches and waltzes for seven instruments and baritone, was premiered in 1924. Luigi Dallapiccola was heavily influenced by Schoenberg during his early career, his Preghiere (prayers) for baritone and ensemble sets predominantly dark poems by Murilo Mendes.

Two Birtwistle works complete the programme. The World is Discovered, an instrumental ceremony of versus and choruses inspired by Picasso’s 1960 Tate exhibition, and Dinah and Nick’s Love Song, a celebratory miniature scored for three melody instruments and harp composed around the same time as Birtwistle’s opera The Mask of Orpheus.

There will be a free pre-concert talk at 6.30pm with Silvina Milstein and Stephen Newbould, open to all ticket holders, lasting approx. 30 minutes.

See back page for ticket price and booking information.

Of Gold and Shadows

‘Playing under the baton of Oliver Knussen, BCMG revelled in the music’s extravagance of colour.’ The Independent

Leigh Melrose

Silvina Milstein

Sound InvestmentShare in music’s future

* If you would like to support Silvina Milstein’s commission please contact us by 5 September.

Silvina Milstein’s de oro y sombra ... could only be commissioned with the help of a wide range of individuals through Sound Investment – BCMG’s pioneering crowdfunding scheme.

Join Sound Investment now – and share in the thrill of bringing alive new pieces of music by the most exciting composers of our time.

You can:• attend rehearsals and premieres• meet composers and performers• have your name listed in a new

work’s score

Invest now in Sound Investment commissions being premiered this season by John Woolrich (21 January 2012, see page 9) and Tansy Davies (25 May 2012).*

Sound Unit shares in each commission are priced at £150. Your donation can start from £15 per month.

Go to: www.bcmg.org.uk/soundinvestmentring 0121 616 2616 or email [email protected]


Feel the Buzz An exciting composing and improvising project for 14 –18 year olds Saturday 29 October 2011, 10am – 4pm, Trefoil House Sunday 30 October 2011, 10am – 6pm, CBSO Centre. Free eventThe autumn Feel the Buzz will be led by composer Fraser Trainer and is based around Berio’s Duetti for two violins. Participants will devise and notate their own violin duets for BCMG musicians to perform. There will be two days of workshops culminating in a performance for friends and family on the evening of Sunday 30 October at 5pm. Participants must be able to attend both days of workshops and need to have basic notation skills. BCMG welcomes instrumentalists from all cultural traditions.

Feel the Buzz will give participants:• a fun environment to make music with

other young people• new ways to get started composing • new ways to develop your musical ideas• amazing professional musicians to create

music with and for• ideas for GCSE/A level composing

Places must be booked in advance either through the BCMG website or by calling 0121 616 2616. Booking opens 3 weeks before each workshop.

Music MazeCreative music workshop for8 – 11 year olds

Sunday 18 September 2011,10am – 2.30pm,CBSO Centre. Free eventSeptember’s Music Maze will explore the music of Argentinian composer Silvina Milstein. Her new piece for BCMG de oro y sombra ... (of gold and shadows ...) is partly inspired by Chinese landscape paintings. In the workshop the young people will take similar inspiration and create music that describes colour and landscape.

Zigzag EnsembleCreative music-making for12 – 16 year olds

Sunday 18 September 2011,10am – 2.30pm,CBSO Centre. Free eventLed by composer Sid Peacock, these fun workshops provide a safe environment for young musicians to explore composing and improvising within an ensemble. Young people need to be able to play a musical instrument and read a little bit of music notation to take part.


Oliver Knussen conducting BCMG rehearsal

Music Maze participants

6 Ticket line: 0121 767 4050

Portraits and Star SignsSunday 13 November 2011, 7.30pm,CBSO Centre

Violins: Alexandra Wood * / Peter Campbell-Kelly *Cello: Ulrich Heinen +Piano: Malcolm Wilson +Introduced by John Woolrich (BCMG Artist-in-Association)ProgrammeKarlheinz Stockhausen: Tierkreis +Luciano Berio: Duetti *

Introduced by BCMG Artist-in-Association John Woolrich, this intimate concert juxtaposes uniquely personal works from two of the 20th century’s greatest composers.

Inspired by a dream in which three music boxes were pulled from the belly of a giant bird, Stockhausen’s Tierkreis (Zodiac), consists of 12 melodies, one for each sign of the Zodiac. These little tunes were originally written for specially made music boxes but can be played by any suitable instrument or even sung. Each is centred on a different chromatic pitch (Leo = A, Virgo A#, etc…) and has its own distinct tempo. BCMG cellist Ulrich Heinen, who owns some of Stockhausen’s original music boxes, performs his own specially made arrangements with pianist Malcolm Wilson.

It’s rare for all 34 of Berio’s Duetti for two violins to be performed in a single concert. Just as the Stockhausen melodies encapsulate

characteristics ascribed to the 12 star signs, so Berio’s Duetti are in part little vignettes of his friends. Each duet bears the friend’s name in its title – many of them artists or musicians – with their personality or a particular memory connected to them providing inspiration for the music. Amongst the honoured 34 are Igor (Stravinsky), Pierre (Boulez), Edoardo (Sanguinetti) and Bruno (Maderna).

Excerpts from both Tierkreis and Duetti were given captivating performances by these players last season at the Barber Institute and in BCMG’s Family and Schools’ Concerts respectively. Anyone lucky enough to have seen these concerts knows what a treat the two complete cycles in one evening will be.

See back page for ticket price and booking information.

Alexandra Wood and Peter Campbell-Kelly playing Berio’s Duetti in our 2010/11 Family Concerts


BEAST (Birmingham ElectroAcoustic Sound Theatre) present

WavesSaturday 19 & Sunday 20 November 2011,CBSO CentreSound travels in waves – perhaps even across the Atlantic… Experience total sonic immersion in BEAST’s multi-loudspeaker diffusion system.

Saturday 19 November 2011,Overture, 6pmAn opening flourish of recent works from Birmingham and around the world.Trilogie d’ondes, 7.30pmondes Martenot: Suzanne Binet-Audet Sound diffusion: Gilles GobeilA recent acousmatic piece and three classic works for ondes Martenot and electroacoustics by Quebec composer Gilles Gobeil.Late Show, 9pmAn atmospheric end to the evening, featuring more recent music from Birmingham and beyond.

Sunday 20 November 2011,Lumínico, 2pmFlutes: Alejandro EscuerElectronics and sound diffusion: Rodrigo SigalVisuals: José Luis García Nava A Mexican interdisciplinary project combining images, live performance and new audio technologies.

Tickets:Saturday: £14 full price / £8 conc / £4 under 16s & studentsSunday: £7 full price / £5 conc / £3 under 16s & students

To reserve your tickets in advance for collection on the door, please contact BCMG on 0121 616 2616 or [email protected]

‘I like the workshops because I love playing and composing music. I also like the friends I’ve met there.’ Music Maze participant

Music MazeCreative music workshop for8 – 11 year olds

Sunday 6 November 2011,10am – 2.30pm,CBSO Centre. Free eventIn November’s Music Maze the young people will compose twelve melodies (one for each of the Zodiac signs), inspired by Tierkreis (German for Zodiac) by composer Karlheinz Stockhausen. As with the original, each melody will start on a different note of the chromatic scale and be played at different speeds.

Zigzag EnsembleCreative music-making for12 – 16 year olds

Sunday 6 November 2011,10am – 2.30pm,CBSO Centre. Free eventLed by composer Sid Peacock, these fun workshops provide a safe environment for young musicians to explore composing and improvising within an ensemble. Young people need to be able to play a musical instrument and read a little bit of music notation to take part.


Families@4Sunday 13 November 2011, 4pm,CBSO CentreThis bite-sized concert for young people and their families will present a selection of the captivating Berio’s Duetti for two violins, interwoven with the stories of Berio’s friends who are depicted in these musical portraits. Also in the concert will be the beautiful Stockhausen Tierkreis where the different characters of the Zodiac will be portrayed in music. Get close up to the music in this informal and relaxed performance. Come early to take part in fun activities in the foyer. The concert will last around one hour.

Tickets: £4 adults / free for under 16s(all children must be accompanied by an adult)

To reserve your tickets in advance for collection on the door, please contact BCMG on 0121 616 2616 or [email protected]

BCMG Family Concert

Music Maze participant

8 Ticket line: 0121 767 4050

Friday 2 December 2011, 8pm,CBSO Centre

Keyboard: Peter WiegoldBCMG Players: Marcus Barcham-Stevens (violin)Timothy Lines (clarinet)Simon Limbrick (percussion) Ben Markland (double bass)Peter Wiegold in conversation with Stephen Newbould, plus a devised/improvised quartet programme.

Peter Wiegold is a versatile musician, composer, conductor, teacher and writer. He has a unique way of working with fellow musicians, creating and devising pieces where some parts of the music might be fixed in rehearsal but where much is left to

the spontaneity of performance. This he does through a repertoire of specially-devised signals which shape the music in real time.During the evening Peter will discuss his fascinating approach to music-making with BCMG Artistic Director Stephen Newbould. With no set programme, this informal concert will make the most of Wiegold’s unique musical abilities to create an entertaining evening where the audience will see music devised live – perhaps with some suggestions by members of the audience.

Tickets:In advance: £8 / £5 under 16sOn the door: £10 / £6 under 16s

See back page for booking information.

‘In an ideal world, all performances of contemporary music would be like this. Here BCMG have thrown down the gauntlet to others.’The Birmingham Post on BCMG’s Family Concerts

An evening of music and conversation with Peter Wiegold

Peter Wiegold leads BCMG musicians

BCMG musicians performing in our Family Concerts

BCMG Family Concert


Music MazeCreative music workshop for 8 – 11 year olds

Sunday 27 November 2011, 10am – 2.30pm,CBSO Centre. Free event In the second of November’s Music Mazes the young people will explore improvising. Inspired by composer Peter Wiegold’s ‘one page’ scores, the children will create a page of musical ideas (melodies, rhythms, chords and textures) which they’ll use to create a group improvisation and maybe a few solos!

Zigzag EnsembleCreative music-making for 12 – 16 year olds

Sunday 27 November 2011, 10am – 2.30pm,CBSO Centre. Free event Led by composer Sid Peacock, these fun workshops provide a safe environment for young musicians to explore composing and improvising within an ensemble. Young people need to be able to play a musical instrument and read a little bit of music notation to take part.


Box of DelightsBCMG Family Concerts

Saturday 21 January 2012, 1.30pm & 4pm,CBSO Centre

Mezzo-Soprano: Loré Lixenberg *Percussion: Julian Warburton / Adrian Spillet / Simon Limbrick / Richard BenjafieldStage Direction/Visuals: Tim HopkinsProgramme to include: Lou Harrison: Fugue for Percussion Iannis Xenakis: Rebonds BJohn Cage: Second Construction in Metal Steve Reich: Music for Pieces of WoodSeán Clancy: new piece (BCMG commission / world premiere)Morton Feldman: The King of DenmarkJohn Woolrich: new piece (BCMG Sound Investment commission / world premiere) John Cage: Living Room Music * György Ligeti: With Pipes, Drums, Fiddles * Many a child will have arranged a set of pots and pans and turned them into a drum kit or run a stick along a melodious set of railings at the park, delighting in the music produced. So too, many a modern composer has been fascinated by the sounds around them, whether the resonance of different pieces of metal or wood, the ping of a china cup or the echo of distant bell.

Our Family Concerts introduce young people and their families to the exciting world

of contemporary music. These hour-long performances weave theatre and film with the music to create fun, colourful and engaging concerts to ignite young minds.

From the exuberance and joy of Ligeti’s With Pipes, Drums, Fiddles to the ear-catching rustles, taps and scratches of Feldman’s The King of Denmark, be wowed by the sheer virtuosity and theatre of BCMG’s four percussionists and singer Loré Lixenberg.

A cornucopia of percussion instruments more often seen on the classroom music trolley are brought into the limelight and used in magical ways; everyday objects are transformed into wonderful sound makers; and, things you might ordinarily throw away or find at a rubbish tip have astonishing music coaxed out of them.

Before and after the performances, there will be fun activities in the foyer for the young people to create their own music using BCMG’s wonderful array of percussion instruments. So please turn up early or stay afterwards and enjoy the whole BCMG Family Concerts experience!

Best suited to children aged 8-11. Performances will last around one hour.

Tickets: £6 adults / £4 under 16s / £16 group ticket**admits four people – the group must contain at least one adult and two children

Please turn to page 11 to find out how you can support new commissions through the Sound Investment scheme.

Family Music MazeCreative music workshop for 8 – 11 year olds

Sunday 8 January 2012, 10am – 2.30pm,CBSO Centre. Free event In January’s Music Maze we are inviting children to bring along an adult family member to take part in the workshop with them and explore music from BCMG’s Family Concerts.

Zigzag EnsembleCreative music-making for 12 – 16 year olds

Sunday 8 January 2012, 10am – 2.30pm,CBSO Centre. Free event Led by composer Sid Peacock, these fun workshops provide a safe environment for young musicians to explore composing and improvising within an ensemble. Young people need to be able to play a musical instrument and read a little bit of music notation to take part.


Music Maze participant

Ticket line: 0121 767 4050

Arts Awards

If you’re a young person taking part in Arts Awards, BCMG projects or coming to a concert can count towards your award. BCMG is also able to support Children’s Arts Awards – a programme for those aged 7-11.

BCMG Family Friendly

At BCMG concerts we offer our youngest audience members specially designed programmes, front row seats and an interval reception of free juice and biscuits.

Work Experience Placements

BCMG offers a limited number of placements to students aged 14+. For an application form, please see www.bcmg.org.uk

10

At BCMG we see young people as discerning listeners, experimental performers and creative musical adventurers. We are passionate about creating the very best learning opportunities which allow young people to flourish, to feel part of a bigger musical community and open their ears to new sounds worlds. We create musical pathways that signpost young people from school projects to out-of-school projects and from workshops to concerts. Through partnerships, such as our composing symposium and action research project with Sound and Music, we are committed to understanding and developing best practice.

Though the main focus of our Learning and Participation programme is young people, there is much for adults too beyond our performances. Insight Events, Meet the Composer days, pre-concert talks and creative workshops all aim to deepen our audience’s engagement and understanding of the music we perform.

Our Learning and Participation programme

Supporting young composers School projects:

Sequenza – secondary school pupils compose for solo BCMG musicians

Schools’ Concert Plus – primary school workshops connected to our Schools’ Concerts

Out-of-school projects:

Music Maze (ages 8–11)

Zigzag Ensemble (ages 12–16)

Feel the Buzz (ages 14–18)

Higher Education:

University of Birmingham (Ensemble-in-Association) & Birmingham Conservatoire - undergraduate and postgraduate composer workshops

Concerts for young people Box of Delights: Family and Schools’ Concerts

Families@4

Supporting young performersCoaching young musicians from the South West Music School in contemporary repertoire as part of our mini-residency in Wiltshire.

Wider community participation Pre-concert talks

Open rehearsals

Insight Events

Research, development & resourcesSymposium and action research – partnership with Sound and Music investigating the teaching of composition at Key Stage 3 & 4

Creative music-making resource packs to accompany Schools’ Concerts.

Commissioning new music 2 new commissions for young listeners at our Family and Schools’ Concerts.

For more information about these projects and ways to get involved please visit www.bcmg.org.uk, contact Nancy Evans, Learning Manager, or Naomi Wellings, Learning Co-ordinator, on 0121 616 2616 or email [email protected] or [email protected]

At the heart of our learning programme are six strands. These are illustrated below using a selection of our projects.

Feel the Buzz

Electro-Sequenza

Pre-Family Concert activities

Music Maze

BCMG Learning

& Participation

Online: www.bcmg.org.uk

BCMG Foundation

The BCMG Foundation allows you to engage with aspects of our work that concert-goers don’t usually see. You can support the future development of BCMG’s performance and learning activity by becoming a Core Supporter from £1,000 per year.

You can also help with specific BCMG projects, with a donation starting from £250 per year. Projects for which we are currently seeking your support include:

• Feel the Buzz, a composer-led workshop for 14-18 year-olds around Luciano Berio’s Duetti (see page 5)

• The Birmingham premiere of Gerald Barry’s latest opera The Importance of Being Earnest at Symphony Hall on 28 April 2012 (see page 3)

I always seem to come away from BCMG events with my horizons broadened, my vision refreshed, and my sense of being part of this wonderful creative city reinvigorated. Through the BCMG Foundation, I feel close to the beating heart of this brilliant inclusive world-class team. John Christophers, BCMG Foundation member

11

Why become a supporter of BCMG?

Sound Investment is BCMG’s pioneering commissioning scheme, which involves individuals in the thrill of bringing alive new work by the most exciting composers of our time.

You can support BCMG’s commissioning programme from £15 per month.

Luke Bedford’s opera Seven Angels was supported by the BCMG Foundation

Make a donation You can also make a one-off donation to support us this season. Any level of donation will make a difference to BCMG’s work. You can send us a cheque made out to ‘BCMG’, or donate online: www.bcmg.org.uk/donatenow

Remember BCMG’s work in your Will

Composers and the development of new work need every encouragement we can give. Leaving a legacy to BCMG enables us to support the future of new music even beyond our lifetime. Alan Woodfield, BCMG supporter

By remembering BCMG’s work in your Will you can give future generations a very special gift. We would be grateful if you would let us know if you have made provision for BCMG in your Will. BCMG is a registered charity no. 1001474BCMG’s music-making workshops

encourage tomorrow’s composers

Birmingham Contemporary Music Group relies on many income sources to create its varied programme of concerts, workshops, and other opportunities for audiences and composers of all ages. These include box office, fees from touring and media engagements, national and local government funding, grants

from charitable trusts and foundations, and donations from individuals.

Support from individual donors is crucial to the vitality of BCMG. Our supporters enable us to develop our artistic vision and become an integral part of BCMG’s extended family.

www.bcmg.org.uk/soundinvestment

Would you like toget involved?

Call Gwendolyn Tietze on: 0121 616 2616email: [email protected] or go to:www.bcmg.org.uk/supportus

Sound InvestmentShare in music’s future

Join our mailing listScan to join email and/or post mailing lists and receive regular updates from BCMG.

Sign up via

www.bcmg.org.uk/jointhemailinglist

Write to us at Freepost RRAY-KLRC-LUES, BCMG, CBSO Centre, Berkley Street, Birmingham, B1 2LF, specifying what information you’d like to hear from us about.

BCMG, CBSO Centre, Berkley Street, Birmingham, B1 2LF

ParkingThere is metered parking on all streets around CBSO Centre. There are also car parks at Brindleyplace and Mailbox, both within 5 minutes walk of the centre.

AccessCBSO Centre is equipped with adapted toilet facilities, key signposting in Braille and the hall is fitted with an infra-red amplification system. Limited free parking can be arranged on request. Disabled patrons can bring one companion to BCMG concerts free of charge.

For further access details please contact BCMG: 0121 616 2616 / [email protected]

How To Find Us Booking ticketsUnless otherwise stated, tickets for all BCMG concerts are priced as follows:

In advance: £14 full price £8 concession £5 under 16sOn the door: £16 full price £10 concession £6 under 16s

Tickets can be booked in advance via:The Symphony Hall Box Office, Broad Street, Birmingham, B1 2EA

Ticket Line: 0121 767 4050Online: www.bcmg.org.uk

On the door tickets can be purchased at the venue on concert nights subject to availability. Credit card payments of £5 and above are accepted. All seating is unreserved unless otherwise stated.

Concession tickets are available to over 65s, passport to leisure holders, wheelchair users and disabled patrons, and recipients of the following benefits: Income Support. Pensions Tax Credit and Disability Tax Credit.

Student tickets just £4

£4 tickets can be purchased (subject to availability) at CBSO Centre on concert nights by Birmingham Conservatoire and University of Birmingham music students. Valid student ID will be asked for prior to purchase.

Many of our projects would not be possible without the generous support of our individual donors, charitable trust and foundations, organisational partners and statutory funders. Our particular thanks for supporting BCMG in 2011/12 goes to:

Our Sound Investors, our BCMG Foundation members

The Barber Trust, City of Birmingham Orchestral Endowment Fund

Acknowledgments

BCMG, CBSO Centre, Berkley Street, Birmingham B1 2LF Tel: +44 (0)121 616 2616 Fax: +44 (0)121 616 2622 Email: [email protected] Web: www.bcmg.org.uk

Registered in England no. 2446126

Registered charity no. 1001474

VAT reg. no. GB 614 418 655

Tennant St

Hagley Road West

Gas S

t

Berkley S

t

A4

54

0

Bridge S

t

Edmund St

New Street

Holloway Head

Commercial St

Holliday St

Granville St

BCMG

Livery St

Queensway

Paradise Circus

Suffolk S

treet Queensw

ay

Colmore Row

New Street

Snow Hill

Symphony Hall

Town Hall

Central

Library

Bull Ring

Mailbox

Brindleyplace

A4

54

0

Ring Road

Ring Road to M5 & M6

Five WaysIsland

Broad Street

Sheepcote S

t

Photographs: Stuart Whipps, Alicia Sanguinetti, Adrian Burrows, Alastair Muir, Robert Day and Jonathan Lee

Illustration: Gunnlaug Moen Hembery

Design: www.weared8.com

bcmg concerts, workshops and events sept 2011 - jan 2012

Documents

performance of new music

john woolrich

best new music groups

composers oliver knussen

john cage

new works

family concerts

free performance projects