One of Britain's leading new music ensembles, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (BCMG), is one of the big-name casualties of local authority arts cuts that are hitting some parts of the country. From 2012 Birmingham City Council is withdrawing all the funding it provides to the ensemble, amounting to nearly £72,000 a year.

BCMG's artistic director Stephen Newbould said the Council's decision would have a 'critical impact' on the ensemble's performance and education programme, and composer Oliver Knussen, BCMG's artist in association, described the cut as 'devastating'.

Just days after the cuts were confirmed, the award-winning ensemble received another prize for its work, with Stephen Newbould and general manager Jackie Newbould winning the Royal Philharmonic Society's Leslie Boosey Award for their contribution to contemporary classical music.

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