English Symphony Orchestra to Receive £74,400 from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

English Symphony Orchestra among 925 recipients to benefit from the latest round of awards from the Culture Recovery Fund

This award will allow the English Symphony Orchestra to continue to perform and record new music, aid audiences with their return to attending concerts in person, and also to support its communities through its ESO Youth and Care Homes programmes.

 More than £100 million has been awarded to hundreds of cultural organisations across the country including the English Symphony Orchestra in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced today.

The English Symphony Orchestra, based in Worcester, has been awarded a grant of £74,400 by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Arts Council England.

The ESO was one of the first Orchestras in the UK to return to recording music in a COVID-safe environment in line with UK Government guidelines during lockdown, and this award will now allow the organisation to continue with its return to the concert hall and to performing in front of live audiences once again whilst continuing to support the ‘virtual’ audience built up through its ESO Digital platform through the recording of new and unusual works.

The third round of funding will support organisations from all corners of the sector as they deal with ongoing reopening challenges, ensuring they can thrive in better times ahead.

Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries said:

“Culture is for everyone and should therefore be accessible to everyone, no matter who they are and where they’re from.

“Through unprecedented government financial support, the Culture Recovery Fund is supporting arts and cultural organisations so they can continue to bring culture to communities the length and breadth of the country, supporting jobs, boosting local economies and inspiring people.”

Over £1.2 billion has already been awarded from the unprecedented Culture Recovery Fund, supporting around 5000 individual organisations and sites across the country ranging from local museums to West End theatres, grassroots music venues to festivals, and organisations in the cultural and heritage supply-chains.

Andrew Farquharson, Chief Executive Officer, English Symphony Orchestra, said:

“We’re incredibly grateful for this grant, which will allow us to continue with our return to performing in front of live audiences once again. We’re already looking forward to welcoming ESO Youth musicians to perform side-by-side with us at the Great Malvern Priory on 23rd November, and also to collaborating with Academia Musica Choir for Messiah in the same venue on 14th December.”

Darren Henley, Chief Executive, Arts Council England, said:

“This continued investment from the Government on an unprecedented scale means our theatres, galleries, music venues, museums and arts centres can carry on playing their part in bringing visitors back to our high streets, helping to drive economic growth, boosting community pride and promoting good health. It’s a massive vote of confidence in the role our cultural organisations play in helping us all to lead happier lives.”

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. We have set out our strategic vision inLet’s Create that by 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has access to a remarkable range of high quality cultural experiences. We invest public money from Government and The National Lottery to help support the sector and to deliver this vision. www.artscouncil.org.uk.

Following the Covid-19 crisis, the Arts Council developed a £160 million Emergency Response Package, with nearly 90% coming from the National Lottery, for organisations and individuals needing support. We are also one of the bodies administering the Government’s unprecedented Culture Recovery Funds. Find out more at www.artscouncil.org.uk/covid19.  

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