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IN THIS UPDATE:
2021 GRANTS - IMPACT
In December, four live concerts took place - in Birmingham, York, Sherborne and London - and two previously filmed recitals began streaming on OnJam. The figures so far:
£183,900 disbursed to 28 ensembles
670 musician engagements since April 2021
We are grateful for all the wonderful feedback we have received about our festive video, created with OnJam, highlighting some of the fantastic projects made possible by your generosity. If you haven’t seen it yet, the video is available here.
FOCUS ON GRANTS IN 2022 - ROUNDS 3 AND 4
We have been overwhelmed by your generosity this past month - it is so appreciated! Donations and commitments for Continuo's two grant rounds in 2022 now stand at £160,000. We have £98,000 available for January (Round 3) and £62,000 for July (Round 4). As we prepare to open Round 3 for applications on 11th January, we are working hard to secure the last £2,000 needed to reach our £100,000 launch target, and the remaining £38,000 needed to launch Round 4. If you'd like to contribute and help close the gaps, please let us know! To discuss how you can make a difference, please contact Tina by email on tina@continuofoundation.co.uk.
£100,000 DONATION TO CONTINUO
We are delighted to share the news that Continuo was awarded £100,000 from the Maria Björnson Memorial Fund. This is our largest single donation to date and is a huge fillip to all involved in Continuo - and a fantastic way to top off our first year! This multi-year support for our grant making will provide 25% of the funding required to launch each of our 2022 and 2023 grant rounds, and is included in the figures quoted above. It is both humbling and thrilling to receive such a donation. Humbling given its magnitude and thrilling given the number of ensembles and musicians we will be able to support as a result.
PRIVATE EVENT FOR SUPPORTERS – 17th MARCH 2022
Continuo will be hosting a private pre-performance talk with drinks for our supporters before the concert of music by Michael East to be presented by Chelys Consort of Viols and Fieri Consort. The talk and concert will be held on the evening of Thursday 17th March at St. Gabriel’s Church in Pimlico. Personal invitations with full details will follow shortly.
TRIBUTES TO DAVID FLETCHER
Continuo Foundation was honoured and grateful to be selected as the charity beneficiary for tributes to David Fletcher, founder member of the Thames Valley Early Music Forum since 1988 and its Chair since 1999. As well as being an avid cornet player, David has left a lasting legacy in bringing people together to experience and enjoy all that early music has to offer. So far, donations of more than £4,600 have been made in David’s memory. The individual tributes to David can be read here. Continuo Foundation will ensure that 100% of these funds, and any others donated in his memory, are used to continue his legacy by helping early music to flourish and to bring people together in communities across the country.
DECEMBER PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
Ex Cathedra – ‘Sleepers Awake'
Ex Cathedra performed the second in their series of Birmingham concerts, featuring music by JS Bach and a new commission, 'I Stand at the Door'. Composer Liz Dilnot Johnson's love song to the planet is a cantata for choir and Baroque Orchestra. Click on the video to watch the trailer.
Pocket Sinfonia – ‘Mozart and a Miracle’
Pocket Sinfonia's series of three concerts for audiences in Sherborne, London and York, recreated some of the atmosphere of 19th-century drawing room parties, where the intimacy of a chamber music performance was applied to orchestral-scale pieces. We hope this programme will tour to more locations.
The Mozartists – Chamber Music Series
The Mozartists released the second and third in their series of filmed chamber recitals, featuring Steven Devine, Daniel Edgar, Gavin Kibble and Christopher Bucknall performing music by Mozart, J. C. Bach, Wagenseil and Haydn. All three films are available to watch on OnJam here.