Continuo Foundation announces latest grant round

Grant-giving charity Continuo Foundation has revealed the recipients of its latest round of grants. Both established and emerging period-instrument ensembles have been awarded a share of £100,000 raised by the charity, with 32 recipients benefitting in total.

This ninth of grants takes the total amount of funding raised and distributed by Continuo Foundation to £950,000 since Spring 2021. The grants will empower the ensembles to embark on concert tours and performance and recording projects bringing early music performed on period instruments to wider audiences. One such ensemble is The Mozartists, who receives funding for their Opera 1775 concert at London’s Cadogan Hall, part of their broader MOZART 250 project.

Founding artistic director Ian Page said: ‘It is increasingly hard in the current financial climate to take box-office risks and to present repertoire that will be mostly unfamiliar to most of the audience. We are therefore particularly grateful for Continuo Foundation’s grant, which gives us the confidence and encouragement to programme this fascinating and high-quality repertoire.’

Continuo Foundation will support seven emerging groups – formed since 2020 – and 24 established ensembles to undertake a total of 80 performances in 50 locations across the UK. The London-based Serpentine Trio, formed in 2022, is among the emerging awardees.

The trio’s viol player Özgür Kaya said: ‘With this support, we can produce a visually and sonically stunning film that reinterprets French Baroque music for a modern audience, bridging the worlds of historical performance and contemporary culture. Most importantly, this grant empowers us as emerging artists, giving us the platform to experiment, innovate, and share our passion for early music in a way that resonates with today’s listeners.’

Details of all 31 award recipients and their projects can be found on the Continuo Foundation website.