SEPTEMBER UPDATE

Continuo Foundation
39 minutes ago
7 min read

IN THIS UPDATE:

IMPACT - FEEDBACK AND FIGURES

September was a busy month, with nine grantee ensembles presenting a total of nineteen concerts in twelve locations across the UK. Continuo also contributed to the harpsichord hire for Jean Rondeau's performance of JS Bach's Goldberg Variations at the Peckham Multi-Storey Car Park.

In terms of recordings, emerging ensemble Musica d'Outrora released their debut album, Still Life, and Ensemble OrQuesta Baroque completed the recording sessions for Céphale et Procris, an opera by Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre.

We received wonderful feedback from Queen Victoria's Consort about how Continuo's grant helped to reach new audiences, bringing historic music and instruments to Railway 200 locations:

The Continuo grant allowed us to perform in well-attended public venues linked to the beginning of passenger rail travel, and to bring the music of 200 years ago to enrich the experience of the public, museum staff and volunteers who were able to get up close to beautiful original antique instruments. We were also able to add an open workshop/performance for local brass players.

And similarly, the Linarol Consort of Viols commented on their Shakespeare-inspired tour:

Without the Continuo Foundation’s grant the possibility of putting on a tour of 16th century music played on renaissance viols with 5 professional musicians would be simply impossible. The grant has given us the opportunity to reach new audiences and venues, and consolidate a growing group of supporters by returning to venues. Not only are we grateful for financial support but the investment and passion being put into promoting performances and musicians though Continuo Connect is really heartening - it is a great new institution.

Continuo Foundation's impact since inception:

£1,070,000 awarded to 114 ensembles

of which 34 emerging ensembles supported

1,285 freelance musician beneficiaries

342,000 audience beneficiaries

33 new albums released

GRANT ROUND 10 - AWARDS ANNOUNCED

A message from Tina Vadaneaux, Founder and CEO:

We were thrilled to announce our tenth round of grant awards in September, which also marks five years since I began gathering our outstanding team of Patrons, Trustees and Advisory Panel members and set out to raise our first £100,000.

How time flies! And how grateful we are to all who have supported us, attended concerts and, of course, to all the musicians who have created beautiful music and shared this with hundreds of thousands of people everywhere - your work is so valued and makes the world a better place.

The feedback we are hearing about the difference Continuo has made to the vibrancy, innovation, positivity and geographical reach of the early music ecosystem has been incredibly rewarding.

There is so much potential for further growth and flourishing, building on the £1 million we have invested in ensembles so far and the ever-growing reach of the Continuo Connect website, a gateway and guide to fabulous concerts and festivals all across the country and much, much more.

We were honoured to be mentioned by Petroc Trelawny in his conversation with our Patron Mary Bevan during her appearance on In Tune on Monday 29 September. You can hear this on the clip below or by visiting this link to the programme (1 hour 43 seconds in) on BBC Sounds which will be available until 29 October.

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

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT

with Nathan Giorgetti

Nathan completed his Master’s degree in 2023 at the Royal Academy of Music as a Christopher Hogwood Scholar, specialising in historical performance on the viola da gamba and baroque cello with Jonathan Manson. During his time at the Academy, Nathan co-founded Intesa, a viola da gamba and voice duo which celebrates the combination of viol and voice across a wide range of repertoire. In 2023-24, he was a Chamber Music Fellow at the Academy as part of Intesa. Nathan is also a core member of Bellot Ensemble, an early music group specialising in 16th and 17th-century repertoire. Bellot was selected as BBC Radio 3’s New Generation Baroque Ensemble 2025-27, and their debut album ‘Cupid’s Ground Bass’ will be released in November 2025. Nathan has played with various leading period performance ensembles, including The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, The Hanover Band, and the Early Opera Company. He is the founder of the Vilalte Festival, a yearly chamber music festival taking place in southern France.

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

Continuo’s ongoing support of both new and established groups has greatly enriched the cultural landscape within the early music world and has encouraged innovation and risk-taking by giving musicians much-needed support to try out new ideas at all stages of their careers. I’ve found Continuo Connect very valuable as a place to see what performances are coming up, what groups are playing, and reading interviews with leading figures. On a personal level, Continuo’s generous support of Bellot Ensemble has allowed the group not only to record our first album and make high-quality videos, but has also drawn attention from well-established institutions such as BBC Radio 3’s In Tune and concert organisers.

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

I have benefited from Continuo’s support through being part of Bellot Ensemble, a two-time grantee group. The grants awarded to Bellot have allowed me to be part of my first chamber ensemble CD recording release, 'Cupid’s Ground Bass'. These grants have also enabled us to make a series of high-quality audio and video recordings in the Voces8 Centre, which have been crucial for the group in terms of visibility, and having material to send for auditions, schemes, and festivals. The importance of these videos was highlighted when we were awarded a Britten Pears Fellowship for 2024-25, where the panel commented on the high quality of presentation of our videos.

What do you love about being a musician?

The privilege of doing something everyday that connects me to beauty and strives towards an ideal.

Where did you encounter the most receptive audience?

In December 2024, Intesa was invited to play at the NCEM’s Christmas Festival, which included a collaboration with Discover York called 'Baroque Around the Books'. This series of informal concerts in local public libraries generated a wholly new dynamic with the audiences, many of whom might never have felt compelled to attend a viola da gamba duo concert. It was wonderful to connect to these audiences during and after the concerts, where people’s curiosity could be explored and we could answer their questions directly.

No.1 listening recommendation?

Stephen Wilson Jr’s cover of “Stand By Me” - There’s something about the sincerity and intensity of his cover of such a famous song which made me experience it as if for the first time. I believe that gets to the heart of what it means to be an 'interpreter' of music.

More about Nathan Giorgetti is available in his Continuo Connect Interview .

SEPTEMBER PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

Ensemble OrQuesta Baroque - Céphale et Procris (Jacquet de la Guerre)

Ensemble OrQuesta Baroque made a recording of the full opera Céphale et Procris by the musically innovative French baroque composer Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre (1665-1729). The recording was made from a revised edition created by Ensemble OrQuesta which gave the UK premiere performance of this work in 2023. Click below for an excerpt from a recording sessions with tenor Kieran White and soprano Poppy Shotts.

The Mozartists - Opera in 1775

The Mozartists continued their MOZART 250 series with works from operas first performed in 1775. Alongside highlights from Mozart’s Il re pastore, the concert included arias from JC Bach Lucio Silla and Haydn L’incontro improvviso. The audience was also treated to seven modern-day premieres of arias from operas by Fischietti, Mysliveček, Tozzi and Sacchini. An outstanding line-up of young singers featured sopranos Ava Dodd, Stephanie Hershaw and Chelsea Zurflüh, and tenors Hugo Brady and Sebastian Hill.

Galliarda - Silver Cities, from Zacateca to Potosi

Galliarda presented their programme entitled 'The Golden Jewels of Zacateca and Potosi' to audiences in three locations during September: Haddenham, Bakewell and Lanlivery. The ensemble explored instrumental and vocal music that emerged from such musical centres as Mexico City, Zacateca, Cuzco and Potosi - where new and old world musical traditions, instruments and languages merged in the seventeenth-century.

Chelys Consort of Viols - What is our Life?

Chelys Consort of Viols gave four performances of their 'What is our Life?' programme, in Chelmsford and at the Banbury Early Music Festival (September), and in Conwy and Chester (July). The programme celebrated the life and work of Orlando Gibbons, who died 400 years ago in 1625, and included sacred, secular and instrumental gems from one of the greatest English composers, as well as music by those who taught him, and those who followed. For this project, Chelys were joined by soprano Gwendolen Martin and tenor David de Winter.

Jean Rondeau - JS Bach: Goldberg Variations

Renowned harpsichordist Jean Rondeau performed the Goldberg Variations at the three-day Back2Bach Festival organised by Bold Tendencies at Peckham Multi-Storey Car Park in September. Continuo supported the hire of the extraordinary harpsichord used for this performance. Supplied by Simon Neal, the instrument built by Keith Hill in the US in 2010 is based on a 1769 French original by Parisian Pascal Takin. Jean Rondeau's open rehearsal and concert attracted hundreds of curious fans of all ages. Continuo Connect caught up with him ahead of his performance in Peckham in this interview.

NEW ALBUM ALERT

Musica d'Outrora - Still Life

Still Life is the debut album of Música d’Outrora, directed by Pablo Devigo. Recorded in Birmingham in 2024, it explores the radical expressivity of the 17th-century 'stylus fantasticus'. Featuring first recordings of works by Ignazio Albertini and Gregorio Strozzi alongside sonatas by Castello, Buxtehude and Stradella, the project combines rigorous historical research with bold, imaginative performance. Still Life is out now on the Deux-Elles label, available to stream or to purchase here. Read more in this article by Pablo Devigo on Continuo Connect.