Ex Cathedra to receive £56,944 from third round of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund

●     Ex Cathedra among 925 recipients to benefit from the latest round of awards from the Culture Recovery Fund
 
●     This award safeguards concert programme and work for freelance musicians despite box office shortfalls whilst audience confidence returns
 
More than £100 million has been awarded to hundreds of cultural organisations across the country including Ex Cathedra in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced today.
 
Birmingham-based Ex Cathedra has been awarded a grant of £56,944.
 
Ex Cathedra is a leading UK choir and Early Music ensemble. Since artistic director Jeffrey Skidmore founded the group in 1969, it has developed a world-wide reputation for its dynamic performances underpinned by scholarly research, combined with a desire to seek the finest, the unfamiliar and the unexpected in the choral repertoire. This funding will safeguard Ex Cathedra’s planned concert programme over the winter, providing vital work for its freelance musicians despite ongoing uncertainties and deflated box office income.
 
Concerts now secured include the world-premiere of Liz Dilnot Johnson’s major work I Stand at the Door – a love song to our planet that addresses the climate emergency, and 12 performances of the choir’s much-loved Christmas Music by Candlelight concerts across the Midlands – featuring no fewer than 5 new works and 12 living composers amongst an eclectic mix that ranges from a little-known Black Brazilian composer born in 1767 to texts from the 4th-century BCE Dhammapada.
 
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.
 
Peter Trethewey, General Manager, Ex Cathedra said:
 
“We are extremely grateful for this support. Without it, the work done to navigate the first 18 months of the pandemic would have been severely jeopardised and the viability of Ex Cathedra thrown into grave doubt. We can now deliver our programme with confidence, provide much-needed work for our freelance musicians, and welcome audiences to celebrate Christmas with world-class performances of choral music.
 
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”.