Town Hall Symphony Hall and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra are delighted to have been awarded grants in the latest round of Culture Recovery Funding
/ News 2 Apr 2021News Story
Arts Council England have announced today that Town Hall Symphony Hall (THSH) will receive £465,325 and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) will receive £480,000 as part of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund.
We are once again incredibly grateful for the Government support that has been awarded today. Through the last year the music charity responsible for these two iconic venues has continued to connect audiences to music through regular digital broadcast, which now boast over half a million views, and have enabled Symphony Hall to open for the filming of digital concerts from our Resident Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. I believe music will play a powerful role in reuniting communities in person and I hope that our halls will be a beacon for that reconnection. We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of our audiences and supporters and we look forward to making memories with you all in our halls once again.Nick Reed, Chief Executive for the music charity responsible for Town Hall and Symphony Hall
We are delighted to receive this funding, which will help to secure the future of the CBSO as we move forward after the huge impact of the Covid pandemic. As well as supporting the return of live concerts from 19th May this funding will be crucial in helping us to realise our ambitious digital plans which will mean our music can continue to reach the widest possible audiences at home, as well as allowing us to restart our Choruses and vital Learning and Participation activity. Whilst there are still challenges ahead we are extremely grateful to Arts Council England and our other private donors and funders, and together with our colleagues at Symphony Hall we are hugely excited to be welcoming live audiences back in May.Stephen Maddock, Chief Executive of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
Subject to the successful roll-out of the government’s roadmap, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra will perform live concerts for socially-distanced audiences at Symphony Hall each Wednesday from 19 May-7 July. Each programme will be performed twice, at 2pm and 6.30pm, to allow for as many people as possible to join in person whilst seating capacity is restricted. Programme details will be announced soon.
We’re pleased to be investing in Town Hall and Symphony Hall through the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund. This funding will offer these important music venues the opportunity to plan for the future and prepare for reopening in the coming months. From hosting City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra to programming Jazzlines, a talent development scheme for Jazz Musicians, Town Hall and Symphony Hall play a crucial role in bringing interesting and diverse opportunities to people across the region.
The Government’s package is hugely welcome, providing much of the sector with resources to reopen safely. Building upon investment made in the first round of Recovery funding, we’re pleased to see that many more well-loved community projects, theatres, galleries, museums, clubs, music venues, festivals, key cultural suppliers along with other creative spaces and projects have benefited, and their communities will feel a boost as a result. Now that we’re hopefully on the road to recovery, there is much to look forward to as organisations get ready to reopen their doors, welcoming back audiences and making plans for the future.Peter Knott, Area Director, Arts Council England
Town Hall Symphony Hall has continued to bring music to the people of Birmingham and beyond through the last year, with digital broadcasts filmed at the iconic venues now amassing over half a million views since they began in April. The music charity has remained committed to their mission of inspiring a love of live music through performance, participation and learning with a diverse range of artists having performed to online audiences, including Lady Sanity, Soweto Kinch, Tom Aspaul, Xhosa Cole, Lauren Zhang and Braimah Kanneh-Mason.
The all-female ensemble created by the music charity responsible for Town Hall and Symphony Hall, Rise Up will be the next broadcasted performance from Symphony Hall. The digital concert is part of Cheltenham Jazz Festival's free-to-view, two-day digital event taking place across the May Bank Holiday weekend.
In addition to the free-to-view broadcasts, over 200 people have logged on since May 2020 to learn choral and a cappella music as part of the charity’s monthly Community Spirit Online workshops, run in partnership with Black Voices. Participants at this month’s free zoom workshop will be led by Joe Novelli from The Sons of Pitches, winners of BBC's The Naked Choir and House Band on Sky1's Sing: Ultimate A Cappella.
More than £300 million has been awarded to thousands of cultural organisations across the country including the music charity responsible for Town Hall and Symphony Hall in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced today.
Over £800 million in grants and loans has already been awarded to support almost 3,800 cinemas, performance venues, museums, heritage sites and other cultural organisations dealing with the immediate challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.
The second round of awards made today will help organisations to look ahead to the spring and summer and plan for reopening and recovery. After months of closures and cancellations to contain the virus and save lives, this funding will be a much-needed helping hand for organisations transitioning back to normal in the months ahead.
Our record breaking Culture Recovery Fund has already helped thousands of culture and heritage organisations across the country survive the biggest crisis they've ever faced. Now we’re staying by their side as they prepare to welcome the public back through their doors - helping our cultural gems plan for reopening and thrive in the better times ahead.Oliver Dowden, Culture Secretary
Investing in a thriving cultural sector at the heart of communities is a vital part of helping the whole country to recover from the pandemic. These grants will help to re-open theatres, concert halls, and museums and will give artists and companies the opportunity to begin making new work. We are grateful to the Government for this support and for recognising the paramount importance of culture to our sense of belonging and identity as individuals and as a society.Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England
The funding awarded today is from a £400 million pot which was held back last year to ensure the Culture Recovery Fund could continue to help organisations in need as the public health picture changed. The funding has been awarded by Arts Council England, as well as Historic England and National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Film Institute.
