I am delighted to present the Annual Review of activities for our 2007/2008 season.

Our Music Club Awards Scheme auditions took place in early October 2007. 13 chamber ensembles were chosen for audition following applications from over 30 groups. For the second season running we decided to increase spending on the Scheme by a further 25% (2006 - 20%). The number of concerts awarded was a record for the Trust at 31 for the 2007/08 season. The principal Award Winners chosen were the Barbirolli String Quartet (9 concerts), Illuminati (wind quartet) (9 concerts), the Rhodes Piano Trio (9 concerts) and Zephirus (saxophone quartet) (4 concerts) for the 2008/2009 season. A full list of forthcoming concerts can be seen on the next page.

The Music Club Awards Scheme concerts given by our 2006 Award Winners got under way in November 2007 and were completed in March 2008. All four 2006 Award Winners, the Heath Quartet, Lancier Brass and The Navarra Quartet were much enjoyed in Music Clubs from Kelso in the Borders, Inverness and Aberdeen in the North, to Skye in the Western Isles.

The 2008 Blair Atholl Showcase moved from Strathgarry at Killiecrankie to Lude House at Blair Atholl and took place from the 3 to 11 May. We were delighted that, following the sale of our wonderful venue of Strathgarry by our beloved hosts the Thewes, that Lavinia & Andrew Gordon invited us to stage the event nearby at Lude in Blair Atholl. The venue is ideally suited to our needs and the Lude Drawing Room the perfect Chamber Music concert venue. 18 wonderful young musicians attended this year’s event. For the fifth year in succession, Thomson & Potter of Burrelton, agreed to continue their support in 2008. I am extremely grateful to David Gilbertson of Thomson & Potter for his and the company’s continued support. Financing the event becomes ever tougher but thanks to an 11th hour grant from the most generous Barcapel Foundation we were able to cover the events costs in full. 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 fourth workshop at their Showroom this year.

The 2009 Blair Atholl Showcase will take place at Lude in Blair Atholl from 2 to 10 May 2009.

Fundraising in 2007/08 was again successful with 4 national charities giving support to our work. Those charities supported our work to the tune of £15,500. Individual donations were again very generous. One extremely dedicated supporter, who has already donated towards the Showcase on four occasions, gave a further £5,000 in 2008. The Trust has also been fortunate enough to receive a legacy from a supporter this year. This sum will be invested by us in order to provide much needed income in support of our Awards Scheme. We are extremely grateful to all who have supported the Trust over the past year.

In the present financial climate, which is destined to hit the Arts Community hard in the next few years and with the investment market uncertain, it remains ever vital for the Trust to continue to attract both commercial and charitable donations in order to continue its work.

Our 2008 Auditions for the Music Club Awards Scheme took place on 8th October 2008 in London. We are delighted to announce that the Bozza Trio (oboe, clarinet & bassoon), Dyad (percussion duo), Finzi Quartet (string quartet), Higham/Lane Duo (cello & piano), Hoot (flute & harp duo) and Liquid Architecture (mixed octet) have been awarded 33 concerts between then for the 2009/2010 season. Another record number of concerts for the Trust and its talented Young Musicians!

Jonathan Tunnell artistic director

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