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GRANT ROUND 8 AWARDS

We were delighted to announce the twenty-seven ensembles selected to receive a total of £100,000 in project grants in this eighth grant round. Once again, the competition was very strong, with requests for three times the amount of funding available.

Of the 27 high-quality, imaginative projects being supported in this funding round, ten are being carried out by recently-formed ensembles, with 35% of the funds allocated to these emerging groups, formed since 2020. Overall, eight of the 27 ensembles are new to Continuo Foundation grants. 

Grant Round Eight is supporting 75 performances and recordings between November 2024 and the end of April 2025 in 48 different locations across the UK. This will bring the total number of communities benefiting from our support to over 200. 

Since Continuo was founded in 2020, the total support provided for UK early music projects amounts to £850,000, awarded to 102 ensembles of whom 29 have been emerging ensembles. The Grant Round Eight award recipients are:

Apollo's Cabinet - Azur Ensemble - Baroque in the North - Bloomsbury Players - The Brook Street Band - Ceruleo - Chelys Consort of Viols - Concert Trombone Quartette - Dialogue Viols -Ensemble Augelletti - Ensemble Molière - Ex Cathedra - Fiori Musicali - Florilegium - Istante Collective - Le Foyer des Artistes - Liturina -Londinium Consort - London Obbligato Collective - Lowe Ensemble - Lux Musicae London -Manchester Baroque - Players of the Hampstead Collective -Saraband - Sestina Music - Sounds Historical - Spiritato

Full details of the latest grant recipients and their projects can be viewed by clicking the button below.
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GRANT PARAMETERS

Applicants were invited to request amounts ranging from £2,000 to £8,000 to support UK projects scheduled to take place from 1 November to 30 April 2025. For recently formed ensembles (formed ca. June 2020 - June 2024), we prefer to support live concerts or tours but will consider a recording if this would make a material difference to the ensemble's career prospects. 
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For example, grant proceeds could be used by a period-instrument ensemble to:
 
  • enable a concert with a larger number of musicians at risk of being downsized
  • fund a new project where there is uncertainty about audience take-up
  • support a tour of a new or existing programme to new UK locations
  • fund the recording of repertoire not previously recorded
  • fund a chamber recital series
  • create filmed video content to be used to generate further touring opportunities
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Grant requests may be for up to a maximum of 90% of the Project Cost. Applicants are asked to provide a credible plan for the balance of the funding required for the project.
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Continuo Foundation expects to award grants to 20+ ensembles, including at least 4 emerging groups. The final numbers will depend on the quality of the applications received and the amounts requested - we always seek to support as many projects as possible within the £100,000.  

SELECTION CRITERIA

ELIGIBILITY
Eligible ensembles are UK-based professional groups of at least three musicians playing period instruments, or faithful replicas, with a consistent membership of instrumentalists, year-round activity and an identity as a period-instrument ensemble.

Proposed projects may include vocalists, or be collaborations with vocal ensembles, as long as the grant applicant is an instrumental ensemble meeting the description above. Projects may also include new works commissioned for period instruments or combine early and contemporary repertoires in their programmes.

Previous Continuo Foundation grantees are eligible to apply provided they complied with the terms of their grant(s), including acknowledging Continuo Foundation's support on all publicity related to the project and submitting their post-project report(s). 
EVALUATION
The main objective of our grants is to mobilise projects of outstanding artistic merit which create meaningful work for freelance period musicians, and which bring period-instrument music to audiences across the UK, engaging and inspiring people and enriching communities. The key criteria for assessing applications are:
 
  • the artistic quality, creativity and originality of the proposed project; 
  • the number of instrumentalists engaged and the proportion of the grant funds dedicated to artists’ fees;
  • the extent to which new live or virtual audiences will be engaged; and
  • for recently formed ensembles, the extent to which the project proposed is realistic and will contribute to establishing the group's credentials and visibility, and support their future success.  
 
In choosing which projects to support, in addition to the considerations above, the Advisory Panel and Trustees will consider other factors in their decision-making. For the avoidance of doubt, ensembles do not need to meet all of the criteria below, the list is intended to give a sense of areas of interest. These include: 
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  • public performances since 2022
  • critically acclaimed recordings (including CDs, broadcasts, videos, etc.) since 2022
  • support of early-career instrumentalists and vocalists 
  • innovative programming, including works by diverse composers 
  • diversity of performers and administrators 
  • involvement in outreach and education projects 
  • whether the ensemble is a UK registered charity 
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The Trustees also consider the quality of the application itself, as we believe this is a reflection of the ensemble's ability to carry out the project to a high standard.
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RECENTLY FORMED ENSEMBLES - EVALUATION CRITERIA
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For ensembles formed between ca. June 2020 and June 2024, assessors will consider the areas set out below:
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  • evidence of public performances 
  • background information on the musicians comprising the ensemble
  • the rationale for the formation of the group 
  • repertoire being explored, aspirations, etc.
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The applicants in this category are asked to submit a 10-minute, unedited video of the ensemble performing together. This could be an extract from a live-streamed concert, or part of a performance filmed on a smart phone. If there is no film footage from performances, we would consider a video from a rehearsal. The video does not need to be professionally filmed - we look for the quality of the ensemble playing, not the quality of the video. 
 
NB - In order to be eligible, an ensemble must have had at least one public performance before 30 June 2024. The ensemble should demonstrate the intention to have a lasting presence, rather than gathering for a one-off project. 
CRITERIA
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