OCTOBER UPDATE

Continuo Foundation
6 days ago
7 min read

IN THIS UPDATE:

IMPACT - FEEDBACK AND FIGURES

In October, our grants supported eight grantee ensembles and enabled a total of twenty concerts in ten locations across the country. The Brook Street Band presented their Norwich-based love:Handel Festival with ten concerts plus talks and schools workshops, and Flauguissimo gave three concerts as part of their Northern Star Festival.

We were delighted to receive feedback from Blondel highlighting the value of our grants in making it possible to support early music provision in the north of England.

The Continuo Foundation grant gave us the confidence and freedom to take creative risks, setting up our own performances in new places and connecting with audiences we hadn’t reached before. It’s been especially exciting to start building a following in the North of England and we’re now planning to return regularly to continue that growth over the next few years.

And similarly, from Manchester Baroque about their recent Dance of the Nations concert:

We would like to reiterate how deeply we value the ongoing support of Continuo Foundation. Your funding has had a transformative impact on our ability to establish and grow an organisation in a city where historically informed performance has, until recently, been underrepresented.

Continuo Foundation's impact since inception:

£1,070,000 awarded to 114 ensembles

of which 34 emerging ensembles supported

1,310 freelance musician beneficiaries

346,000 audience beneficiaries

33 new albums released

2026 GRANTS - FUNDRASING

A message from Tina Vadaneaux, Founder and CEO:

Following the exciting announcement of our latest grant awards last month, we have enjoyed watching the Continuo Connect event listings fill up with brilliant concerts all over the UK.

We have also renewed our focus on fundraising for the two grant rounds planned for 2026, opening in January (Round 11) and July (Round 12). October was off to a strong start in this regard, with a number of generous donations from new and existing supporters, for which we are very grateful.

In the words of an existing donor, "The more I get involved, the more I appreciate the value of the Continuo Foundation's ‘microfinance’ model." We love hearing this, and this donor's new multi-year pledge will enable Continuo to plan ahead for greater efficiency and effectiveness.

We are also working to identify a third Principal Supporter, committing £80,000 per year for three years. We believe a well-run charity should have visibility on the majority of its next three years' funding; together, the three Principal Supporters will provide two-thirds of this funding, enabling the team to focus efforts on helping musicians and providing them with confidence in the future.

To discuss how you can help us to keep investing in the future of Baroque and Early Music, please contact me at tina@continuofoundation.co.uk or visit our Support Us page.

CONTINUO CONNECT

Continuo Connect continues to grow, with over 13,000 monthly visitors to the site in October. The most visited page is What's On, which has seen over 3,000 events listed since 2023. Following close behind are artist profiles, features and news. There is a wealth of engaging content available on the site, with 250 articles, interviews and curated playlists. Our audiences tell us this content is especially valuable given the current dearth of in-depth writing on early music. We love receiving feedback from ensembles and festivals about seeing new faces at concerts, and from audiences who enjoy our newsletters and social media. A recent favourite was this comment from a subscriber in Saffron Walden: 'This is such a useful resource. I have discovered concerts by fantastic artists who were new to me, and there is no way I would have found them without Continuo Connect - thank you so much.'

Visit Continuo Connect

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT

with Joseph Lowe

British-Spanish baroque violinist and violist Joseph Lowe is widely recognised for his innovative approach to chamber music and his dynamic presence on both modern and period instruments. A sought-after orchestral and chamber musician, Joseph has performed at many of the world’s leading venues with renowned period ensembles. Raised near Madrid, he began his musical training in Spain before moving to London, where he studied with Bojan Čičić at the Royal College of Music. He later completed his studies with Pavlo Beznosiuk at the Royal Academy of Music, where he now holds a Fellowship in the Historical Performance Department. A passionate chamber musician, Joseph is a member of the Lowe Ensemble, with whom he is currently touring across the UK, supported by Continuo. He performs on a Tyrolean baroque violin from c.1758, generously loaned to him by the Royal Academy of Music.

How has Continuo Foundation impacted your day-to-day life?

Continuo Foundation has been the bridge between having a dream and realising this dream. Many of the projects my ensemble is now bringing to life were ideas that had been in the back of our minds for years. Thanks to the Foundation’s support, these ideas are no longer distant ambitions but tangible realities which are shaping our daily artistic life.

What new doors have opened for you since becoming a grantee?

Becoming a Continuo grantee has given me both the confidence and the means to turn creative ideas into real projects. It has opened new pathways for our ensemble to think imaginatively, to take artistic risks, and to produce something genuinely original within the UK’s historical performance scene - all with the invaluable backing of the Foundation.

What do you love about being a musician?

Many things. I love that no two days are the same, that our daily work is to seek beauty and transform the ordinary into something extraordinary. I believe music is a continuous act, a process rather than a finished product. We are always evolving, changing, and searching for what resonates most deeply with us in each moment. Performing reminds me that music is one of the few professions rooted in the present: we are neither building something for the future nor looking at the past, but offering something alive to an audience, here and now; and that is something I love.

Where did you encounter the most receptive audience?

The most unforgettable audience I’ve encountered was at the APAC Festival in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. I had the chance to perform there twice with the Royal College of Music Baroque Orchestra, directed by Ashley Solomon, and the Bolivian Arakaendar Choir. The Bolivian audiences which gathered for the festival where incredibly warm and enthusiastic - people filled our concerts to the point of creating traffic jams outside of the city of Santa Cruz! Some stood outside the venues, peering through windows just to hear the performances. Their emotional response and the energy they gave back to us was overwhelming. It was also fascinating to learn about Bolivia’s Baroque musical heritage and to see how proudly they preserve and celebrate it.

No.1 listening recommendation?

It’s hard to pinpoint just one track to recommend, as I love exploring a wide range of genres (my Spotify playlists go from medieval polyphony to the latest rock band/hip-hop artists). However, one piece I’ve been listening a lot to lately, is Lebanese singer Rima Khcheich’s version of Michel Lambert’s 'Ombre de mon amant' translated into Arabic. With Maarten Ornstein improvising on the saxophone, this rendition brings out the melancholy and tragic beauty of Lambert’s air in a deeply moving way, and it goes perfectly with the present autumnal atmosphere in London.

For more about Joseph Lowe check out his Continuo Connect Interview .

OCTOBER PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

The Brook Street Band - love:Handel Festival 2025

The Brook Street Band presented their love:Handel Festival in three locations across Norwich over two weekends. In three historic venues, there were ten concerts, two talks, schools workshops, and a Radio 3 broadcast. The ensemble commented: Continuo’s support has transformed our musical landscape, not to mention that of the early music scene in Norwich. It’s clear that we’ve got a loyal following who are so supportive. We met a Handel superfan (who says Continuo Connect is her absolute go-to for finding out about UK concerts) who chose to do her degree at UEA (as opposed to a few other places) because of love:Handel. No pressure there then…!

Flauguissimo - Vikings & Vagabonds

Flauguissimo presented a celebration of Swedish Baroque Music in October, as part of the Northern Star Festival 2025 - Vikings & Vagabonds. The three concerts in three different locations showcased the music of Swedish baroque composer Johan Helmich Roman, presented alongside works by his contemporaries. Roman's 'Wedding Cantata', with soprano Emily Atkinson and baritone Thomas Guthrie, was a highlight. Click on the video below to hear an excerpt from Roman's Trio Sonata in E minor BeRI 115 from a recording session for the ensemble's debut album, To the Northern Star, released in 2023 on Resonus Classics.

Apollo's Cabinet - The Elements

In October, Apollo's Cabinet completed their tour of The Elements, with concerts exploring the splendour and ferocity of nature when driven to its extremes by mankind. The four elements were represented in an evocative suite, using two main works - Rebel’s 'Les Elemens' and Destouches/Delalande's 'Les Elements' as the pillars of each suite, interspersed with other composers’ ideas on how to depict the elements musically, all tied together through poetry. The baroque music was contrasted with five new pieces commissioned from composer Orlando Gough, to explore the effect of the fifth element - humanity - on our planet. Watch the video below for an insight into this project.

Manchester Baroque - Dance of the Nations

Manchester Baroque performed their Dance of the Nations concert in collaboration with the Mercurius Company in October. This interdisciplinary project sought to continue the ensemble's exploration of Manchester’s cultural history. By 1750 benefit concerts were well established in Manchester, and frequently accompanied by an evening ball. These were held fortnightly in the city’s central venues, including the 'New Theatre' King Street and the 'Assembly Room' on Market Street, both close to the venue of this concert. Using original choreographies, the ensemble performed a variety of repertoire from across Europe.