1 February 2012
Young music
City of London’s City Bridge Trust – which uses surpluses from
the City bridges to help London good causes - has awarded London
Sinfonietta, one of the foremost contemporary music orchestras,
£45,000 over three years to bring young people in Camden and
Islington together to create, produce and perform their own musical
compositions.
The three year project - entitled the KX Collective – will work
with 75 young people each year from a range of communities to
develop their music skills, and in turn increase their personal and
life skills, fostering greater self- confidence and leadership
qualities.
Billy Dove MBE JP, Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s
City Bridge Trust Committee said:
- “City Bridge Trust is pleased to support London Sinfonietta.
Music and the creative arts can unite young people of all
abilities. There could not be a better time for City Bridge Trust
to help the Capital’s Youth and help to bridge any real or imagined
divisions between them.”
The project will be based at Kings Place in Islington, the
eighth most deprived borough in England and the fourth in
London.
Andrew Burke, Chief Executive of London Sinfonietta said:
- “This grant is a real boost to our work with disparate and
disadvantaged communities of young people. It will enable us to
work intensively with 75 young people a year in a series of new
music-making projects and performances, all youth-led, engaging up
to 6,000 young people.”
Last year the City’s City Bridge Trust made 228 grants to London
charities, totalling £16.8milion and between 1995 and 2011 it
granted over £250 million to London charities.
The Trust’s origins can be traced back to 1097 when William
Rufus, second son of William the Conqueror, raised a special tax to
help repair the wooden London bridge. In 1176 the first stone
bridge across the river Thames began and that bridge, with its 19
arches, was completed 33 years later in 1209.
Ends
Notes to editors
- Press enquiries:
Nick McClelland, City of London Corporation
T 020 7332 1754
Email
nicholas.mcclelland@cityoflondon.gov.uk
Mayhew Animal Home
Sarah Dickinson
Media and Communications Manager
T 020 8968 2443
Email
Sarah@mayhewanimalhome.org
Stewart Goshawk, City Bridge Trust, City of London
Corporation
T 020 7332 3712
Email
stewart.goshawk@cityoflondon.gov.uk
- About the City of London Corporation:
The City of London Corporation is a uniquely diverse organisation.
It supports and promotes the City as the world leader in
international finance and business services and provides local
services and policing for those working in, living in and visiting
the Square Mile. It also provides valued services to London and the
nation. These include the Barbican Centre and the Guildhall School
of Music & Drama; the Guildhall Library and Art Gallery and
London Metropolitan Archive; a range of education provision
(including three City Academies); five Thames bridges (including
Tower Bridge and the Millennium Bridge); the Central Criminal Court
at Old Bailey; over 10,000 acres of open spaces (including
Hampstead Heath and Epping Forest), and three wholesale food
markets. It is also London’s Port Health Authority and runs the
Animal Reception Centre at Heathrow. It works in partnership with
neighbouring boroughs on the regeneration of surrounding areas and
the City Bridge Trust, which it oversees, donates more than £15m to
charity annually.
- The City Bridge Trust:
The City Bridge Trust is London’s largest independent grant-making
trust, and its sole trustee is the City of London Corporation.
Through grant-making and strategic initiatives, the City Bridge
Trust works closely with voluntary groups and charities to reduce
disadvantage in London. The City Bridge Trust was set up in 1995 as
the grant making arm of Bridge House Estates whose original purpose
was to maintain the first stone bridge across the River Thames –
London Bridge. Its funds date from the 12th century when tolls were
first charged. www.citybridgetrust.org.uk/
- London Sinfonietta:
London Sinfonietta is one of the world’s leading contemporary music
ensembles with a reputation built on its virtuosity, ambitious
programming and commitment to placing new music at the heart of
contemporary culture. Since 1968 it has commissioned almost 250
works from some of the greatest composers, and actively supports
emerging talent. Its innovative Blue Touch Paper scheme gives
today’s composers the opportunity to develop ideas without the
pressure of a public performance. The London Sinfonietta Academy
provides young instrumentalists with the unparalleled experience of
working and performing with some of the world’s finest contemporary
musicians. Its headquarters are at Kings Place and it is Resident
at Southbank Centre. www.londonsinfonietta.org.uk/