Readers may have noticed that I sometimes mention the support of the Continuo Foundation in concerts or CD reviews. I thought I would elaborate on who they are and introduce their new Continuo Connect promotional scheme.

The Continuo Foundation is a charity that started during the early Covid years with the mission to “help period-instrument musicians to flourish and to bring the joy of live music to people in communities across the country”. It is run by a group of experienced professionals from business, media, law, management consulting, classical music and academia, who all “believe in the power of music to enrich lives, and are passionate about the vital role period-instrument ensembles can play in bringing live classical music to hundreds of local community venues”. They all give their time freely so that all donations go directly to benefit freelance musicians through a series of project grants.

So far there have been three rounds of grants, totalling more than £650,000, awarded to around 145 projects and 350 performances in 150 UK locations. The first round in 2021 (in the midst of the Covid crisis) had the aim of Survival and supported ensembles with project grants, prioritising “excellence and creation of paid performance opportunities for freelance musicians who have suffered financially and psychologically from Covid-19 cancellations”. The following year (2022) was under the heading of Recovery, and helped ensembles “adapt to evolving restrictions and uncertainty around the return of audiences, so they can create projects that will help musicians rebuild their careers and bring early music to all regions of the UK”. The latest round of grants has the tag of Sustainability and aims “to support long-term growth in activity and audiences and increase visibility for period ensembles and musicians, promoting UK touring to widen audience engagement and boost financial sustainability”.

Alongside their grant-giving activities, the Continuo Foundation has recently set up Continuo Connect as a digital resource for those looking for early music concerts in the UK. Although initially aimed at people who already have an interest in early music, it is hoped that it will also encourage those who love classical music to discover early music events. It currently lists 155 events, spread rather unevenly around the UK. The map of current event locations raises interesting questions that are beyond the scope of this note to discuss.

There are 121 ensembles and 163 individual musicians signed up to Continuo Connect. At the moment, it seems that the individual musicians listed are all part of the listed ensembles. Those ensembles have gone through a vetting and approval process by Continuo Connect. It is not yet available for solo performers or those not part of these approved ensembles to create profiles or promote their events although I gather this may change in the future.

​