Brighton Early Music Festival (BREMF) is to receive a grant of £50,346 from the government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help the organisation recover and reopen.
Culture secretary Oliver Dowden announced last week that more than £300 million has been awarded to thousands of cultural organisations across the country in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund.
This support will enable the Festival to stage a Summer Season of outdoor events in June, bringing live music back to Brighton audiences and providing much-needed employment for freelance musicians and other artists. Several events will take place at Royal Spa Nursery School in Queen’s Park, where audiences will be able to bring their own chairs and picnic blankets, and enjoy the performance in a socially distanced outdoor setting. Details are being finalised for seven exciting programmes which will combine music, dance and storytelling under the Festival’s 2021 theme of Myths and Legends. Full details will be published on the Festival website with tickets expected to go on sale in early May.
The grant will also enable the Festival to develop its video channel as a home for early and traditional music films, bringing high quality content to audiences around the UK and across the globe.
Deborah Roberts, Artistic Director of Brighton Early Music Festival, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded this grant to enable us to bring live music back to Brighton this summer.
“Our Summer Season at Royal Spa will enable us to explore myths and ancient legends from a range of traditions including North India, with all events staged live but also filmed for broadcast via our digital channels later in the year.
“We are determined to continue to grow and develop the Festival in new ways in response to the challenges of the past year, and this grant enables us to provide vital support for artists who have in many cases faced months without work. We can’t wait to share music live with our audiences once again!”