SEPTEMBER 2026 UPDATE
IN THIS UPDATE:
1. OUR IMPACT
OUR IMPACT
September was an exciting month, with 10 grantee ensembles presenting a total of 27 concerts in 17 different locations across the UK, sharing a vast array of repertoire with their audiences. We also announced our twelfth round of grants, with £105,000 awarded to 28 Early Music projects.
We were delighted to receive this comment from The Brook Street Band, following a recent grant award for their 'Friendship and Flowers' project:
Securing funding from Continuo Foundation isn't just about gaining financial security. It's also knowing that you have the support and wholehearted backing of such a knowledgeable and experienced group of people, who not only support you creatively but are there with advice, and help with marketing and publicity, amongst other things. It's one of the greatest music 'clubs' to be a member of and we can't wait to bring this new project to life and let it blossom!
Continuo Foundation's cumulative impact:
£1,280,000 awarded to 128 ensembles
of which 46 emerging ensembles supported
1,460 freelance musician beneficiaries
439,000 audience beneficiaries
63 recording projects supported
40 new albums released
GRANTS & FUNDRAISING
A message from Tina Vadaneaux, Founder and CEO:
Very good news! On 24th September we announced the 28 projects receiving support in our Grant Round 12, including awards to 10 emerging ensembles of which five were new to Continuo grants.
The next grant round opens in January 2027, and musicians are already working on their plans for the second half of next year. Having the confidence that funding will be available from Continuo Foundation for outstanding projects is vital, as it inspires the creativity and effort needed.
We are looking to increase the size of our two annual grant rounds by 25%, from £100,000 to £125,000 per round, ideally beginning in January. There are two reasons for the increase. First, our grant rounds have remained around £100,000 since 2021, while musicians have faced rising costs and have had to absorb shortfalls. Second, we receive more high-quality proposals than we can fund, and we are keen to support more of them.
Moving to this new per round grant level requires an additional £50,000 per year across the two rounds and we aim for this to be the new norm for the next three years. We are working hard to secure the necessary funding that will underpin this and have some further support to secure.
With three months before the next grant round, we are doing all we can to try and reach this target. If you would like to help, by giving, increasing your giving, or even introducing us to an individual or trust who may wish to hear about our work, please do let me know!
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT
Samuel Ng
Samuel Ng is a London-based cellist and viol player who enjoys a varied career as a chamber musician and continuo player, having worked as guest principal cello and viol soloist with Academy of Ancient Music, Dunedin Consort, Irish Baroque Orchestra and The English Concert. He also works with top period ensembles including Gabrieli, La Serenissima, The Sixteen and Arcangelo. Since 2021, Samuel has been a core member of Liturina, who released their debut album combining Bach chamber music with jazz compositions by Jonny Mansfield. Samuel graduated from the Royal College of Music in 2023 and was awarded the David McKenna Prize for the highest marks. Teachers and mentors have included Sarah McMahon, Jonathan Rees, Reiko Ichise, Raphael Wallfisch and Hélène Dautry. Samuel currently teaches at RCM Junior Department.
How has Continuo Foundation impacted your day-to-day life?
I think Continuo Foundation has impacted every early musician's life in one form or another. It has allowed projects of varying sizes or complexities to be realised, which I think we all have to credit Continuo Foundation for! Like running any business, money is always a topic for discussion for chamber ensembles and Continuo Foundation has allowed some breathing space for us to focus on our craft and present our ideas to the best of our abilities.
What new doors have opened for you since becoming a grantee?
The forming of Republic of Viols is one. Being a grantee allows us the possibility of curating a project and focusing on what really matters!
What do you love about being a musician?
I love the communication aspect of my job, ideas jumping about in a rehearsal and the spontaneous moments that happen unplanned in a concert. I’m also lucky that I have some of the loveliest and most inspiring colleagues!
Where did you encounter the most receptive audience?
Carnegie Hall was an experience. You really feel like a rock star there.
No.1 listening recommendation?
I actually very rarely listen to anything due to always being surrounded by sounds for work, but two albums I always come back to are Ensemble Masques: Buxtehude - Abendmusiken and Ensemble Correspondances: Ballet Royal de la Nuit. The sound worlds of these recordings are just so inspiring! I’ll chuck in David Bowie for good measure. Always evolving and always something to hear differently each time.
For more about Samuel Ng, check out his Continuo Connect Spotlight Interview.
SEPTEMBER PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
The Morley Consort - Of Still and Loud Noise
The Morley Consort toured their programme 'Of Still and Loud Noise' in September, with five concerts across Devon and in London. The programme featured music representing notable moments in Devon’s history. Encompassing King Arthur, Viking raids, civil war and climate change, and using spoken introductions of period first-hand accounts, the project focused on the infamous Devonian Francis Drake. In London (aboard The Golden Hinde, a re-creation of Drake’s vessel) historical readings were interspersed with details of his circumnavigation, recognising that 'expert musitians' playing 'four viols [which] made lamentations' were aboard the voyage. Watch a clip from the performance aboard The Golden Hinde in the video below.
Early Opera Company - Purcell: Dido and Aeneas
Christian Curnyn and the Orchestra and Chorus of Early Opera Company performed Purcell's Dido and Aeneas in Temple Church (London). The stellar cast of soloists included mezzo-soprano Beth Taylor (in her debut as Dido), Jonathan Brown (Aeneas), Anna Dennis (Belinda), Hilary Summers (Sorceress) and Miriam Allen (Second Witch). The opera was paired with Purcell's ode 'Welcome to all the Pleasures'. This project was supported by a grant from Continuo Foundation in partnership with the Purcell Society, in celebration of its 150th anniversary, and also by Blackstone Chambers. Catch a glimpse of this stunning performance in the video clip below, in which Beth Taylor sings 'Dido's Lament', followed by the closing chorus.
Republic of Viols - Dowland's Lachrimae
Last month, Republic of Viols made its London debut with Dowland's 'Lachrimae', a monument of Renaissance music, alongside a selection of the dances ('divers other pavans, galliards and allemands') in his 1604 publication. There will be further performances in Bristol (today, 9 Oct) and St Leonards-on-Sea (22 Nov). The group will also be joined by tenor Kieran White at the Brighton Early Music Festival (17 Oct) as part of their Dowland Day, exploring music of sleep, melancholy and dream-like vision. Click on the video below to hear this new group.
Photo credit: Hannah Boxall
The Kaleidoscope Band - Le Goût Français
The Kaleidoscope Band presented a programme dedicated to 'the French taste' in Luton, Folkestone and London. While Italian music was considered to be full of virtuosity, French music prided itself on the use of harmony and rhetoric. Centred in Versailles, French Baroque music made its presence felt throughout Europe, with foreign musicians travelling to France to study. The programme included works by Rameau, Telemann, Hyacinthe Jadin, Couperin and Forqueray.
