The Chamber Music Fund

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Our Patrons: Carducci Quartet, Mithras Piano Trio, Skampa Quartet, Takác Quartet

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Our Patrons:
Carducci Quartet, Skampa Quartet, Takác Quartet, Mithras Piano Trio
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Our Patrons: Carducci Quartet, Mithras Piano Trio, Skampa Quartet, Takác Quartet

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Keeping Chamber Music Live in the Community

Famous classical music soloists and stars of opera seize headlines with their performances on international stages, but how did they reach that celebrity?   Some leap to fame by winning competitions but most will have achieved success after years of study and by honing their artistic skills, giving concerts for smaller audiences ahead of career-enhancing performances in major cities. Such concert series present both international musicians and young talent and can be the life-blood of small venues in all towns. They are however seriously endangered by closure of music clubs and arts centres cautious about launching new series as so little public funding is available.

Are You a Business, a Charity or an Individual Wanting to Enhance Lives in Your Town?
Alongside the Chamber Music Fund’s objective to bring exceptional performances to towns in England and Wales, funding will enable affordable ticket prices. Audiences would also avoid the financial and environmental costs of travel into cities. CMF concerts can be followed by school concerts and workshops, essential opportunities for children to experience this music given that schools now so rarely offer musical instrument lessons. Advice can also be offered on the specialized marketing needed for promoting concerts.

It is a restricted fund administered by the EUCO Trust which, for some 40 years, has overseen the worldwide performances of smaller scale orchestral concerts by the EU Chamber Orchestra in a total of 73 countries

Objectives

To support the promotion of financially sustainable, professional chamber music concert series and festivals, within a range extending from solo artists to larger chamber ensembles, in venues in England and Wales in underserved areas and outside major conurbations.

The fund will benefit small towns and rural areas by enabling promoters to foster audiences for classical music and, at the same time, increase performing opportunities for professional (especially freelance) classical musicians.

Applications will be welcome from music societies, theatres and arts centres wanting regularly to stage classical concert series

APPLICATION CRITERIA

Eligibility

An applicant organisation must be:

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A Registered Charity
society
A Society Managed by a Committee
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A Professional Venue

Individuals may not apply

Applicants must have a recent track record of successfully promoting events by professional artists for at least two years. An established organisation promoting classical music for the first time may make an application.

The following will be among the considerations taken into account by the Trustees when assessing an application:

  • the extent to which the applicant’s aim is to fill a gap in chamber music provision within its area
  • the degree to which a grant from the CMF will contribute to the maintenance or development of a series or festival or other performances
  • the level of benefit to be derived by both the audience to be served and the professional musicians to be engaged
  • the quality and balance of programming
  • the robustness of the budget and related marketing plan
  • to what extent applications for the same project have been made to other potential sources of funding
  • any previous application to the CMF, it being understood that in appropriate cases the CMF may provide funding for more than one year
string instruments
woodwind instruments
brass instruments

Selection

The Trustees, rather than providing a specific application form, ask each applicant to explain in their own words how their application meets CMF’s criteria and the implications for their organisation, should no grant be awarded.

It is anticipated, albeit without prescription, that an application will include (with relevant attachments):

  • a brief history of the applicant organisation, with its website address
  • the purpose of the current application
  • details of the proposed concert series or festival programme, including repertoire
  • the budget and marketing plan, including the projected audience, ticket receipts and any relevant information.

Applications should be emailed to: admin@chambermusicfund.org.uk

Completed applications will be forwarded to the Trustees for assessment.  Where deemed appropriate, the Director General may enter into preliminary discussions with potential applicants.

The Trustees will be responsible for determining which organisations are successful. It is expected that grants of between £500 and £2000 will be awarded according to merit.

Timetable

There will be two application rounds each year in accordance with the following timetable:

Receipt of Detailed Applications by end of March / end of September

Recommendations to Trustees by mid April / mid October

Trustees’ Decisions received by end of May /end of November

ANNOUNCEMENT OF DECISIONS

Each applicant will be informed by email of the Trustees’ decision in their case.

Grant recipients will be required:

  • to acknowledge in a specified form the support provided from CMF
  • to report to the Trustees upon completion of their projects concerning the use of the funding awarded and the outcome achieved

In the event that any project does not take place, the grant awarded must be repaid to CMF.

Donate

If you would like to donate to the Chamber Music Fund you can do so via PayPal using the ‘Donate’ button opposite…Thank You!

Our Trustees

For some years after university, John was a freelance singer with the various London-based ensembles, in Paris with Le Groupe Vocal de France and in Copenhagen with the Danish Radio Chamber Choir.  After working in the City, he qualified (and briefly practised) as a solicitor before then spending the remainder of his career in investment management.

A qualified English teacher specializing in Adult Education, Alice works with adults who do not take a normal route into Higher Education.  Frequently her students come here from countries where education for women and girls is not a priority.  Alice is Vice Chair of the National Alliance of Women’s Organisations UK, Trustee and advocate for Widows for Peace and also Company Member and advocate of UN Women UK.

Alongside a career as an international contracts lawyer in the healthcare field, Gareth has undertaken singing engagements as a soloist and in small ensembles and been a non-executive director of a regional ITV company.  He has formed or served a variety of charitable institutions and particular associations have been with the Monteverdi Choir, Dartington Hall, IMS Prussia Cove and Beaford Arts.

Mark is a former music industry executive with more than 35 years of music business experience with leading market sector companies including the Warner Music Group, MakeMusic Inc, the Music Sales Group (now Wise Music Group) and most recently, Hal Leonard, where he served as Managing Director of the European group of companies. During his career he has worked in creative, commercial and rights management roles, progressing to senior management and multiple company board positions with companies based in the UK, Europe and the US. He has served on various industry boards and committees.

Former Director of the Royal College of Music in London and now Vice-President, Dame Janet has served throughout her career in music as Trustee, adviser and project assessor for various professional bodies and musical trusts such as The Countess of Munster Musical Trust and The Belcea Quartet Charitable Trust. A Patron of London Youth Choirs, she continues to support and promote emerging artists.

Having spent many years as a senior civil servant, Simon now runs a vineyard producing sparkling wine in Devon and promotes chamber music concerts over the summer months. He has been a Trustee of a number of musical and non-musical charities, including the Friends of Covent Garden, and was chair of a charity providing financial support to mariners.

Ambrose Miller programmes annually around 10 chamber music series for towns in England and Wales as well as managing EUCO concerts.  He worked for seven years at the Royal Opera House, was Artistic Director of the Stratford on Avon Music Festival and is currently also Artistic Director of the King’s Lynn Festival, which has its own chamber music series and attached school concerts.

The CMF is a restricted fund administered by The EUCO Trust, Reg. No.2144158 Charity No.297643

Keigwin, Keigwin Place, Mousehole, Cornwall TR19 6RR