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ROUND TEN GRANT APPLICATIONS
Dei Gratia Baroque Ensemble
ENSEMBLE INFO
Ensemble Contact:
Anne Marie Christensen
Email:
Ensemble Connect URL
UK Registered Charity No:
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
On 13 December at 7:30pm, Dei Gratia will continue our long-running series of Advent programmes combining well-known baroque favourites and forgotten gems with readings and hymns to prepare for the season of Christmas. ‘The Coming of the Light’ builds on our growing partnership with Naunton Lane Evangelical Presbyterian Church (NLEPC) in Cheltenham.
Our model of partnering with local churches allows us to engage audience from a wide range of ages and backgrounds, some of whom would not otherwise have access to classical music. It also allows us pilot programmes like this one which we can re-use in other contexts. The church is located in a more residential area of Cheltenham away from the grander venues and wealthier demographic, so the concert’s target audience will be the local community including families with children (all ages) as well as friends and members of the church of all ages.
As well as our customary audience involvement through audience-participation hymn singing, readings and post-concert refreshments, we will put on an open rehearsal for young children and their parents, with chances for the children to engage directly with the musicians, get to know the instruments, hear age-appropriate introductions to composers, genres and themes, and ask any questions they might have. This will open our work to parents and children who for one reason or another would not be able to join the evening performance, and it provides a chance for the venue to invite members of the local home-schooling community.
The church wishes to keep the events free of charge to ensure that no one is excluded for financial reasons so underpins a small fee per musician, but their budget cannot cover full industry-standard fees and the cost of harpsichord hire (in past we have used a digital substitute), so donations will be encouraged at the event. As well as contributing a set sum to cover part of our fees and travel, the venue will ensure that we are given afternoon tea and dinner, and those who wish can stay overnight will stay with members of the church.
We will be recording the concert to ensure that anyone who might have to miss the performance due to ill health will be able to enjoy it at a later date. We also plan to release excerpts of the concert on our website.
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Dei Gratia is run by the members of the ensemble. At present 3 members share the main responsibilities. When larger performances are scheduled, more members support us. The core of the ensemble has remained the same for a decade, but we have welcomed new members over the years including recent graduates for individual project or longer periods.
Over the years we have developed a few different strands of performances.
Our main strand consists of tailored chamber performances involving 2-3 singers and a small ensemble. In these we intertwine arias and duos from well-known cantatas and oratorios with lesser-known works (most recently Scarlatti, Stötzel, CPE Bach) and readings which explore the theme of the particular season. Most programmes have been Lenten or Advent in theme, but we have also created programmes for Pentecost, Harvest and Epiphany.
All our performances involve some variant of audience engagement, be it pre-concert talk, post-concert Q&A or meeting the audience during post-performance socialising. Our hope is to expand this offering to include short educational performances, workshops and open rehearsals.
As well as our tailored performances, we also perform the standard works Messiah and Bach’s John Passion, though in each instance we have created our own versions to fit the needs of our partner-church model, where audiences are often less familiar with Baroque music or full-length classical concerts or oratorios. We have devised our own slightly shortened chamber version of the Messiah which can be performed without interval by a chamber ensemble, 10-person choir and soloists.
This spring we premiered a new dynamic English translation of the John Passion by one of our founding members Lawrence Olsworth-Peter. In past years we have performed individual arias and choruses from this translation, but now the translation of the whole work is complete. We have also devised a chamber version of this Passion translation for 4 soloists, narrator and chamber ensemble which enables us to present the work in smaller venues and for diverse audiences.
Chamber Ensemble Performances
Finding Christ in Messiah - Saturday March 18th 2023
The Passion of Christ - Saturday March 2024
J.S. Bach, Handel, CPE Bach and Stötzel
Journey to the Cross - March 8 2025
The Easter Story through Handel's Messiah and Bach's Passions
Naunton Lane Evangelical Presbyterian Church
Music for the Epiphany season - Saturday January 27th 2024
King Charles the Martyr Church, Tunbridge Wells
Adapted Messiah
Performances at private events December 2022 and June 2024
J.S. Bach's John Passion, chamber version
March 29th 2025, St Nicholas, Sevenoaks
J.S. Bach's John Passion
New Translation in full April 5th 2025 at Danbury Mission
PROJECT COSTS
Number of performers:
Instrumentalists:
Vocalists:
Other:
5
2
harpsichord
Project Income (£):
Ticketing/Fees:
Public Funding:
Other trusts/foundations - confirmed
Other trusts/foundations - pending
Other
Income - Total sources
1520
1520
Project Expenses (£):
Artists' fees
Artists' travel/accommodation
Venue - Rehearsal/Concert:
Recording/Filming:
Marketing/Publicity:
Management/Contingency:
2000
400
470
200
200
Total Project Costs:
3270
Amount (£) of Grant Requested:
1750
Detailed Budget (Download):
IMPACT OF GRANT
We have long wished to expand our performances to include educational aspects. This funding would allow us to develop session outlines, learning outcomes and participant materials for open rehearsals and workshops to include along with our already tried and tested pre-concert talks and post-concert Q&A. Funding would also guarantee all players industry-standard fees and allow us to rent a harpsicord for the performance, giving children and families the full Baroque musical experience.
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