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I am delighted to present
the Annual Review of activities for our 2005/2006 season.
Our
Music
Club Awards Scheme auditions took place on 7th
November 2005. 10 chamber ensembles were chosen for audition following
applications from 31 groups in total. We were so delighted with the standard
of musicians auditioning that it was decided to increase the spending on the
Scheme by 20% and to increase the number of concerts awarded from 20 to 24
for the 2006/07 season. The principal Award Winners chosen were the
Thistle Brass, the Mara Ensemble (Piano
Quartet), the McLeod/Sturfält Duo (Cello and
Piano) and the Yamada/Kynoch Duo (Violin and
Piano). Whilst we have always promoted groups from all over the UK, it is
wonderful, for a Scottish based charity, that two of this years Award
Winning groups are based in Scotland and the other two both have strong
Scottish connections! Each group will perform 6 concerts. We were able to
increase our level of support under the Scheme with a second year of
generous support from the D’Oyly Carte Trust. A
full list of forthcoming concerts can be seen by
clicking here.
The Music Club Awards Scheme concerts given by our 2003 Award Winners got
under way in November 2004 and were completed in March 2005. All four 2004
Award Winners, the Callino Quartet, the
Sacconi Quartet, the
Aquarelle Guitar Quartet and the Veya Saxophone
Quartet were much enjoyed in Music Clubs from Kelso in the Borders,
Nairn and Inverness in the North, to Arran and Skye in the Western Isles.
The 2006 Strathgarry Showcase
took place from the 6 to 14 May. 16 young musicians attended this year’s
event. I was delighted that our sponsor of two years,
Thomson & Potter of Burrelton, agreed to continue their support in
2006. This is their fourth year supporting the event. I am extremely
grateful to David Gilbertson of Thomson & Potter for his and the company’s
continued support. The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation’s
3 year support of the event entered its final year. Their generosity covers
nearly 1/4 of the total cost of the Showcase. This year’s Showcase was also
made possible with generous donations from the PF
Charitable Trust, and the Binks Trust. 5
Schools Workshops took place under our
Education Outreach Programme in
schools in Blair Atholl, Logierait and Butterstone. Our chief sponsor
Thomson & Potter of Burrelton hosted a second workshop at their new Showroom
this year. It is a unique venue that is perfect for musical workshops. The
event, hosted by Illuminati, was a huge success attracting children from two
nearby primary schools.
Fundraising in
2005/06 was again successful with 7 national charities giving support to our
work. Those charities supported our work to the tune of £20,500. Individual
donations were again very generous. One extremely dedicated supporter, who
has already donated towards the Strathgarry Showcase on three occasions,
gave £3,000 in 2006. We are extremely grateful to all who have supported the
Trust over the past year.
With investment income continuing to remain low it is becoming ever more
important for the Trust to continue to attract both commercial and
charitable donations in order to continue our work. Plans are under way to
increase the number of promotions undertaken by the Trust in order to
increase income levels in support of Young Musicians.
Our 2006 Auditions for the
Music Club Awards Scheme took place on 8th
October in London. We are delighted to announce that
Lancier Brass, will give 5 concerts, the
Navarra String Quartet, the Heath String
Quartet will each give 7 music club concerts during the 2007/2008
season.
Jonathan Tunnell
artistic director
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