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In this update: 1. FIRST ROUND GRANTS NEWS 2. CHARITABLE STATUS ACHIEVED - HOORAY! 3. LOOKING AHEAD TO GRANT ROUND TWO
FIRST ROUND GRANTS NEWS
We are thrilled that our April grantee projects went off without a hitch. The figures so far: • £23,000 disbursed to 5 period-instrument ensembles • 106 freelance musicians engaged • Average engagement of 2.5 days per musician April project highlights are below, and a full listing of all Grantee Events with confirmed venues and dates through September are now on our Events Page
London Handel Orchestra – Messiah Reimagined (completed 5 April)
In the London Handel Orchestra’s post-project report, we learned that this innovative performance video has attracted 36,000 viewers of all ages from 33 countries – impressive reach! Messiah Reimagined remains available to watch here.
The English Concert – Handel ‘La Resurrezione’ (completed 21 April) Featuring Sophie Bevan, Lucy Crowe, Iestyn Davies, Hugo Hymas and Ashley Riches, this recording made at Sage Gateshead promises to be another outstanding Handel CD from The English Concert. Harry Bicket, Artistic Director of The English Concert, said:
“The recording of Handel’s La Resurrezione was a joyful occasion... It was the first time the orchestra had been able to properly work together in many months… Thanks to the generous funding by Continuo Foundation we were able to feel real hope that the clouds are lifting and we are all hugely grateful for their support.”
Ex Cathedra – Bach St John Passion (completed 23 April)
Ex Cathedra filmed a performance of Bach’s St John Passion at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, which is now available to stream until 6 June. Ticket details are available on our Events Page under the Grantee Events Calendar.
Consone Quartet – Barnstorming! (completed 23 April) Consone Quartet filmed the first of their Barnstorming! concert series – playing quintets by Beethoven and Onslow, with cellist Alex Rolton – in a lovely barn in Dunsfold, Surrey.
The Mozartists – Chamber Concert Series I and II (completed 27 April) The Mozartists filmed two concerts in their chamber series: the first featuring music for strings and harpsichord by
Haydn, JC Bach and Mozart; the second, ‘The Birth of the Classical Sonata’ featuring harpsichord sonatas by JC Bach, Wagenseil and Haydn.
CHARITABLE STATUS ACHIEVED - HOORAY!
We are delighted to report that Continuo Foundation has been granted charitable status by the UK Charities Commission (UK registered charity no. 1194382). We are very grateful to Maecenas for kindly providing a restricted fund for Continuo's charitable purposes which has allowed us to raise funds, claim Gift Aid on donations (where applicable) and award our first £150,000 of grants.
LOOKING AHEAD TO GRANT ROUND TWO
Now that the first round projects are underway, Continuo Foundation is raising funds toward a second round of grants. Our aim for the next round is to extend our reach by helping more ensembles, artists, and projects during the period from October 2021 to March 2022. We anticipate offering grants of £3,000 to £10,000, with a similar evaluation process incorporating learning from the first round. The criteria will again be artistic excellence and the creation of career-sustaining, paid work for freelance performing artists in the UK historical performance sector.