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ROUND TEN GRANT APPLICATIONS
Violana Ensemble
ENSEMBLE INFO
Ensemble Contact:
Violet Zhou
Email:
Ensemble Connect URL
UK Registered Charity No:
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Violana Ensemble will present two concerts of "From Sighs to Song". The first, self-promoted concert will be held at St Marylebone Parish Church between mid-November and mid-December (date TBC), attracting local residents and early music enthusiasts. The second concert, in January at Holy Trinity Rotherhithe (date TBC), will be self-promoted, targeting the local community. No streaming or recordings are planned.
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Violana Ensemble won first prize of the Nancy Nuttall early Music competition in February 2024. They were invited to play at Waddesdon Manor in June 2024, and at the London Handel Festival in March 2025. The group also made their debut recording at Abbey Road Studios in July 2025. The group was founded in 2024 by three promising young musicians from the Royal Academy of Music: Anna Williams (recorder), Sophia Jin (soprano), Violet Zhou (harpsichord) with a shared passion for historically informed performance. Violana Ensemble specialises in 17th- and 18th-century repertoire, with strong emphasises on stylistic authenticity and expressive depth, seeking to bring fresh interpretations to both well-known and lesser-heard works. They have also began their research into medieval music, and they sometimes combine folk music in their programme. The ensemble aspires to bring early music to life through historically informed and emotionally compelling performances—especially younger generations—and to share the beauty and richness of early music.
PROJECT COSTS
Number of performers:
Instrumentalists:
Vocalists:
Other:
2
1
Project Income (£):
Ticketing/Fees:
Public Funding:
Other trusts/foundations - confirmed
Other trusts/foundations - pending
Other
Income - Total sources
1400
0
0
0
0
0
Project Expenses (£):
Artists' fees
Artists' travel/accommodation
Venue - Rehearsal/Concert:
Recording/Filming:
Marketing/Publicity:
Management/Contingency:
2100
36
1200
0
200
0
Total Project Costs:
3490
Amount (£) of Grant Requested:
2090
Detailed Budget (Download):
IMPACT OF GRANT
The grant would enable us to present our programme "From Sighs to Song" at a professional level by covering essential costs such as artist fees, venue hire, travel, and publicity. It would help make our concerts more accessible to wider and more diverse audiences—particularly within local communities—and support us in laying a strong foundation for the ensemble’s future growth and visibility in the UK early music scene.
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