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CITY OF BIRMINGHAM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Registered charity 506276 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as C B S O SOCIETY LIMITED, CBSO

Promoting concerts in Birmingham. Taking part in concerts at other venues in the UK and around the world. Broadcasting and recording work. Extensive education programme. Running 3 unpaid professional choruses and an auditioned youth choir in partnership with Birmingham Music Services. Management of CBSO Centre, the Orchestra's administration and rehearsal home and medium sized performance venue.

Causes: Arts/culture/heritage/science · website · Get email alerts

Latest income
£8.6m
Latest spending
£10.7m
Registered
1977
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that total income decreased to £8.6m from £10.0m in the prior year, while total expenditure fell to £10.7m from £11.3m. Despite the drop in income, the charity reported a net favourable movement in funds of £1.3m, driven largely by actuarial gains on its defined benefit pension scheme, resulting in unrestricted reserves of £4.7m which exceed the trustees' target range of £1.6m to £3.2m.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Largest income source: Sponsorship, donations and legacies (43% of income)
“£3.7m of sponsorship, donations and legacies received from trusts, individuals, and corporate supporters” — page 9
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Trustees Helen Edgar and Andrew Herbert, who are members of the orchestra, received compensation for their playing roles.
“The trustees who are members of the orchestra, Helen Edgar and Andrew Herbert, received total compensation, including national insurance and pension contributions, totalling £108,797 (2024: £102,342), on the same pay scale as that paid to other playing members in respect of their performance with the orchestra. No extra payments were made for their services as trustees of the charity.” — page 32
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by HaysMac LLP. Discloses 3 of 6 completeness components.

In the news

Recent coverage mentioning this charity by name (automated match; headlines belong to their publishers).

Corporate structure

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — CBSO (matched by registered charity number).

Funders the charity credits

Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).

Company officers (Companies House)

Current officers of the charity’s own company per the Companies House register, cross-checked against the Charity Commission trustee list by name. A director not on the trustee list is usually a timing or naming difference between the two registers — check both records before drawing conclusions.

Official officers record.

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)

Total income
£8.6m
Total spending
£10.7m
Cost of raising funds
£609k
Reserves (reported)
£4.7m
Employees
118

Reported reserves equal ~5.2 months of spending — above the median for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 7.1% of total income — above the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Register events

Trustees · trustee networks

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Belgium · Germany · Ireland · Japan · Switzerland · Throughout England And Wales · United States

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/03/2025£8.6m£10.7m
31/03/2024£10.1m£11.3m
31/03/2023£9.3m£11.8m
31/03/2022£9.3m£9.6m
31/03/2021£6.9m£6.3m

Common questions

Is CITY OF BIRMINGHAM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that total income decreased to £8.6m from £10.0m in the prior year, while total expenditure fell to £10.7m from £11.3m. Despite the drop in income, the charity reported a net favourable movement in funds of £1.3m, driven largely by actuarial gains on its defined benefit pension scheme, resulting in unrestricted reserves of £4.7m which exceed the trustees' target range of £1.6m to £3.2m. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by HaysMac LLP.

Who funds CITY OF BIRMINGHAM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA?

Funders whose own accounts filings name CITY OF BIRMINGHAM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA as a grant recipient include PURPOSEFUL VENTURES, THE RIGBY FOUNDATION, THE 29TH MAY 1961 CHARITY, THE CLIVE RICHARDS FOUNDATION, THE ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER FOUNDATION.

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

FunderYearAmountPurpose (as stated by the funder)
PURPOSEFUL VENTURESFY2025£250kMusic & Arts
THE RIGBY FOUNDATIONFY2025£80k
THE 29TH MAY 1961 CHARITYFY2022£60kcore costs of the orchestra
THE CLIVE RICHARDS FOUNDATIONFY2024£60k
THE ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER FOUNDATIONFY2025£29kGrant
THE ROGER & DOUGLAS TURNER CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2023£15k
THE ROGER & DOUGLAS TURNER CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2024£15k
THE ROGER & DOUGLAS TURNER CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2022£15k
THE SAINTBURY TRUSTFY2024£10kAdvancement of Arts, Culture, Heritage or Science
THE AUSTIN AND HOPE PILKINGTON TRUSTFY2022£5kQuarterly Grants for Institutions - Round Two - The Arts Early Career Projects £5,000
THE ANTHONY AND ELIZABETH MELLOWS CHARITABLE SETTLEMENTFY2022£5kThe Performing Arts
THE IDLEWILD TRUSTFY2023£5k
THE ROGER & DOUGLAS TURNER CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2025£5k
DR RADCLIFFE'S TRUSTFY2025£4kAssistant Conductor Programme
THE SAINTBURY TRUSTFY2023£4kThe Advancement of Arts, Culture, Heritage or Science
THE GRIMMITT TRUSTFY2025£3k
THE GEORGE CADBURY TRUST (GEORGE HENRY T AND LAURENCE J CADBURY SECTIONS)FY2025£2k
THE COLE CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2022£1kArts and Culture
L G HARRIS TRUSTFY2022—Grants to institutions/organisations

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

FunderSimilar charities fundedAmount to them
THE MARCHUS TRUST3£20k
THE THOMPSON FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUST2£966k
COLWINSTON CHARITABLE TRUST2£62k
THE BOLTINI TRUST2£45k
The Patricia Routledge Foundation2£13k
THE ARDEOLA CHARITABLE TRUST1£2.5m
THE MICHAEL BISHOP FOUNDATION1£1.1m
HUO FAMILY FOUNDATION (UK) LIMITED1£989k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE CBSO DEVELOPMENT TRUST.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
CITY OF BIRMINGHAM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA£8.6m——above—no doubt
THE CBSO DEVELOPMENT TRUST FY2025£125k—0above—no doubt
B:MUSIC LTD FY2025£13.6m——unclear—no doubt
BOURNEMOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA FY2025£8.6m—3unclear—no doubt
ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA LIMITED FY2025£11.8m——unclear5.0%no doubt
SINFONIA CYMRU FY2025£469k—0unclear—no doubt

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.