Music Patron – official launch
Back in January I flagged a new project designed to help young composers, Music Patron – the brain child of financier composer Anthony Bolton.
Aware that getting paid commissions is all but impossible for most composers at the start of their careers, Music Patron enables any one of us to step in and support a composer of our choice for as little as £10 a month.
Last week Music Patron officially launched with a roster of 28 composers of all shapes and sizes – electronic, folk, jazz, opera, orchestral, rock, sound art…. Some just starting out, others more established but still far from financially secure. Supporter/investors can choose any one (there are lots of details about each on the site with snippets of their music) and ‘sign up’ with them. And if you don’t know who to choose, Music Patron offers a fun quizz to match you with the composers they think might work best for you.
How much will it cost you?
You can support each composer with as much as you wish, obviously, but the very minimum is £10 a month. All of the money will go to the composer, admin costs being covered by Music Patron. And, of course, you could invest a minimum in several composers.
In return for your investment you can actually get involved with your composer, discussing their work with them and receiving regular updates on what and how they are doing – or you can just pay your money knowing it is going to an excellent cause.
For now Music Patron has 28 composers signed up but that is just the beginning. With enough supporters they hope to add substantially more composers to their roster. Five, or even ten pounds month is not a lot to invest – a whole year’s support at £10 a month would only buy you half a seat at Glyndebourne! But for a composer, so much of whose time has to be spent filling in funding applications which all too often come to nothing, £10 a month from five supporters provides a small but reliable, and therefore really valuable income.
For more on the project – to see the current list of composers – or to sign up to support – go to the Music Patron site.
Trainee Music Leader Scheme
This scheme, run by Spitalfields Music, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, BBC Singers, Britten Pears Arts and City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is a paid, practical training programme for musicians wanting to learn about music making in community settings. Trainees get the chance to develop their music leadership skills through hands-on practical training, while learning from experienced music leaders in a supportive professional environment.
With music in schools being in such sad decline, how important are such initiatives if music in the community is to survive.
The closing date for applications is July 15th – and the scheme starts in September. Go here to find out more and download an application form.
Americana on Sunday!
Do not miss our full on Americana Highgate Society lunchtime concert at 10a South Grove on Sunday with Anna Scott.
Raised by opera singing parents Anna has music and dance in her bones – but her real love is Americana Classics. For us she will reprise songs by Patsy Cline, Judy Garland, Dolly Parton, Etta James, Ray Charles and even Elvis – and might even be persuaded to do a little tap dancing!
Doors open at 11.45 am. The ticket price includes a glass of Buck’s Fizz. Book here or pay at the door.
Don’t forget our new Upcoming Events page
Concerts here at Hampstead Lane but including other performances by artists who have played for us or which have some local relevance.
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