Continuo Foundation awards £100,000 to 24 period-instrument ensembles

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Continuo Foundation, the arts charity that helps period-instrument musicians to bring more live music to communities in the UK, has awarded £100,000 to 24 ensembles in its fourth and latest round of funding.

Since the foundation was founded in September 2020, Continuo has provided funding to the UK early music sector to the tune of £460,000.

The 24 recipients of Continuo’s latest round of project grants are: Baroque In The North, Brook Street Band, Cedar Consort, Ceruleo, Chelys Consort of Viols, Ex Cathedra, Feinstein Ensemble, Figure Ensemble, Fiori Musicali, Fretwork, Galliarda, Gonzaga Band, Laudonia, Linarol Consort of Viols, Lux Musicae London, Manchester Baroque, The Mozartists, Musical & Amicable Society, Sackbut Frenzy, Solomon’s Knot, Spiritato, The TFG, The Vauxhall Band, and Yorkshire Baroque Soloists.

The ensembles, a mix of brand new and established groups, were selected from 55 applicants, and will undertake 67 performances and recordings over the next six months in 45 locations across the UK. This brings the total number of communities that benefit from Continuo-supported performances to more than 100 and the total number of ensembles the charity supports to 65.

Alongside this latest round of funding, Continuo has begun to create a much-needed digital hub for the UK early music scene. With this, it aims to leverage technology to benefit musicians and public alike, by helping ensembles bring more live music to more people in more places.

Meanwhile, Continuo Foundation is already working to raise the funds needed to launch its next round of grants in January 2023, which are very much needed according to violinist Rachel Podger, patron of the foundation. ‘With increasing living costs and downward pressure on artists’ fees due to the slow return of audiences, the precarious livelihoods of freelance musicians remain under threat,’ she said. ‘There is so much creativity out there waiting to be unleashed.’