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IN THIS UPDATE:
2. FUNDRAISING - GRANT ROUNDS 4, 5, 6
2021 GRANTS - RECENT HIGHLIGHTS AND IMPACT
In April, five new episodes from Ensemble Augelletti’s ‘Pick a Card’ series (Round 2) began streaming on YouTube, and a CD recorded by The English Concert last April (Round 1) - Handel's La Resurrezione - was released on Linn Records.
We wished to share this feedback from the report submitted by Bach Club Soloists:
"This event and Continuo Foundation's support already helped put Bach Club in people’s minds, and we are planning to use recorded material from the concert to apply to festivals and promoters, so that we can present this programme again, and hopefully take it on tour. This would not be possible without the trust and support we received from you."
And from Passacaglia Trio's report on the tour of their 'To Touch the Heart' programme to venues (and schools) in Norfolk, Devon, Worcester, Somerset and Cornwall. The concerts were enjoyed by more than 700 people of all ages, many new to period-instrument performance:
"Without a grant from Continuo Foundation, the tour almost certainly would not have happened, especially the concerts in the smaller venues… We appreciated the chance to build a unique programme around the fascinating stories of female composers and to help to address the imbalance in music history books... In addition, we welcomed the opportunity to raise the profile of the group on social media networks, particularly the valuable connection with Continuo Foundation’s own superb marketing networks. This is a lasting benefit for the group as we learn to grow our audience in these changing times!”
Continuo Foundation's impact to date, thanks to you:
£250,400 disbursed to 36 ensembles 900 musician engagements since April 2021
515 different individual freelance musicians benefitted
FUNDRAISING - GRANT ROUNDS 4, 5, 6
In April, we were thrilled to receive a further £35,600 in donations and advance commitments for the next three Grant Rounds (4, 5 and 6) planned for July 2022 and January and July 2023.
One year on from our first grant-supported projects in April 2021, a time when many musicians had not performed in a year, we have progressed to the "recovery" phase of our initial 3-year grants programme. As musicians strive to rebuild their careers, positive Covid tests continue to impact their ability to perform (and earn income), and audiences have been slower to return to concerts than expected. The need for support remains great across the sector.
In Round 4, we will continue to prioritise projects which help ensembles to build for the future and to bring live performances to communities across the UK. We will also continue to help recently formed ensembles - a new category introduced in Round 3 which allowed us to extend support to five of the thirteen young groups who applied.
Our immediate goal is to raise the remaining £26,400 needed to reach our £100,000 minimum launch target for Round 4 by 12th July 2022. 100% of your donations will help ensembles and musicians, as everyone at Continuo Foundation gives their time and expertise pro bono.
If you'd like to contribute or renew your support for our work, please contact Tina Vadaneaux by email on tina@continuofoundation.co.uk to discuss how you can make a difference.
GRANT ROUND 3 INSIGHTS
Grant Round 3 projects have begun! We have gathered the venue information for the projects scheduled over the coming months and wished to share the map below illustrating the locations, alongside a few insights into the evolution of our grant making:
Five of the 25 grants (20% of the funds) were awarded to recently-formed ensembles
The majority of grants were awarded to projects comprised of two or more performances
Fourteen projects involve touring programmes, with an average of four locations per tour
Together, the 25 ensembles will create 68 performances in 45 different UK locations
The number of grants to concert series and tours has doubled from Round 2 to Round 3
More information about the Round 3 grantee projects is available here and the performances with confirmed dates and venues are listed on our Events Calendar.
MARY BEVAN MBE JOINS AS A PATRON
We are delighted that Mary Bevan MBE will join Dame Emma Kirkby, Sir Roger Norrington and Rachel Podger as a Patron of Continuo Foundation! Mary is an internationally renowned soprano in baroque, classical and contemporary repertoire, appearing regularly with leading conductors, orchestras and ensembles around the world. Mary is much loved by musicians and audiences throughout the period performance community. She was also one of the founders, with Jonny Byers, of Music at the Tower and the Bach for Good Festival last August, where Continuo sponsored the Award for Students of Historical Performance.
Commenting on her appointment, Mary said:
“When Continuo Foundation announced their first grants in 2021, it was a ray of hope in what was otherwise a bleak landscape for musicians. Since then, they have worked tirelessly to support the development of new and exciting musical ventures and I couldn’t be more proud to support their work going forward as a Patron.”
HARPSICHORD DONATED TO ST JOHN THE DIVINE
One of our Project Supporters, who wishes to remain anonymous, has generously donated a harpsichord to Continuo Foundation. After some research into where this could be of greatest benefit, it became clear that there is a real need in the community for an affordable London rehearsal space with a harpsichord on site. From several churches interested in hosting the instrument, the donor chose St John the Divine in South London. He hopes that this may spark a love of baroque music among the local state school children singing in their choirs. The harpsichord will be available free of charge (excluding tuning) to musicians hiring the church.
APRIL PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
Ensemble Augelletti – ‘Pick a Card...’
Ensemble Augelletti released the final five weekly episodes in their first series of videos pairing historical playing cards from the British Museum with pieces of baroque music sharing a similar theme or sentiment. The whole series is available to watch on their YouTube playlist here. Please click below to hear one of our favourite episodes - and stay tuned for the next series, coming soon.
The English Concert – Handel’s La Resurrezione
The English Concert released the latest in their series of critically-acclaimed Handel recordings - his rarely heard oratorio La Resurrezione. The stellar cast includes Sophie Bevan, Lucy Crowe, Iestyn Davies, Hugo Hymas and Ashley Riches. The CD was voted Record of the Week on BBC Radio 3 and received excellent reviews in The Times and the Financial Times. To order your copy of this recording, please click here. To hear an excerpt from one of the recording sessions, please click on the video below.