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CONTINUO ANNOUNCES NEW GRANT AWARDS
- Continuo Foundation
- Sep 23
- 3 min read
23 September 2025
Continuo Foundation reaches the £1 million milestone with a tenth round of grants awarded to 28 UK period-instrument ensembles – both established and emerging. In the video below, Continuo Patron Mary Bevan MBE shares the good news.
Continuo Foundation announces the results of its 10th funding round, distributing a total of £120,000 to 28 period-instrument ensembles. The project grants will support concert tours across the UK, and recording projects, with a focus on audience development and community engagement. In response to the strong demand and quality in this round, the amount was increased by £20,000 thanks to a generous private donor.
These awards will enable over 400 musicians to contribute to the remarkable vitality and innovation in the UK Early Music sector. The 86 supported concerts will reach audiences in 45 locations across the country — from Purbeck and Norfolk to Doncaster, Belfast, Swansea, and Inverness. Programmes range from pub gigs to fully staged opera, showcasing the variety and creativity to be found under the banner of Early Music.
Since inception, Continuo Foundation has awarded over £1 million to projects spanning 800 years of repertoire, performed on period instruments, bringing live music to audiences of all ages in cities, towns and villages in every corner of the country.
Emerging ensemble Londinium Consort, formed in 2022, will take the programme from their debut album, Crossing Paths, also funded by Continuo, to twelve locations across Scotland and Wales in Spring 2026. Director Emanuele Addis comments:
Thanks to this award, we can bring our music to communities where concerts are harder to come by, helping our audience grow and welcoming new listeners into our journey. We are deeply thankful to the Continuo Foundation for believing in us once again and making this dream of a tour a reality — one that simply wouldn’t have happened without their incredible support.
Other projects focus on reaching new audiences by performing in informal settings. For example, Ensemble Augelletti will revive the 17th- and 18th-century tradition of tavern performance with A Tune among Friends — a programme of folk tunes, theatre songs, and music by Purcell, Corelli, and Handel. Performing in pubs and cafés, the project aims to break down the barriers of concert etiquette and invites audiences to join in.
Baroque opera is also thriving thanks to Continuo funding. Cambridge Handel Opera Company will stage Handel’s semi-seria pastoral opera, Imeneo, in a project that embeds education by involving young people from under-served communities. Students will work alongside professionals, as well as participating in workshops and mentoring sessions, breaking down barriers to cultural participation.
Recordings and collaborations between instrumental and vocal ensembles are also being supported. Emerging ensemble Spinacino Consort will join forces with vocal group Siglo de Oro for a Christmas tour, and to make their debut recording, conjuring a 1620s festive household with carols, ballads, and music by composers including William Byrd. Director Eric Thomas explains:
We cannot wait to record and release our first CD as an ensemble. Awards such as this from Continuo Foundation are vital for bringing ambitious projects to life.
Other ensembles whose recordings are being supported by this latest round of Continuo grants include Chelys Consort of Viols (recording the music of Orlando Gibbons with The Gesualdo Six), London Early Opera (Farinelli and Senesino arias), Newe Vialles (exploring Restoration repertoire for two viols and continuo), Passamezzo (newly-discovered repertoire from The Greensleeves Project), The H Ensemble (an album exploring neurological conditions through baroque and folk music), and The Vauxhall Band (debut album of 18th century basset horn trio repertoire).
Contributing to the future of the Early Music scene in Northern Ireland, Sestina Music has received a grant toward their 15th anniversary season performance of Bach’s Easter Oratorio in Belfast. The project brings together leading period instrumentalists and Sestina’s professional choir, distinguished soloists, alumni, and eight Sestina Next Generation Artists for a presentation of this intense and contemplative masterpiece. Sestina Music General Manager Charlotte O’Hare explains:
Continuo’s support makes it possible for us to bring world-class music-making to Belfast, which is a transformative opportunity for our young musicians and our audiences alike.
Details of the twenty-eight award recipients and their projects may be viewed on the Our Grantees page. To see these performances come to life over the coming months, please visit the Continuo Connect What's On concert listings and select Continuo-Funded Events Only.
Congratulations to all our new grantees, and thank you to all
the generous donors who made these grant awards possible!
