Music / Bristol
Success for joint funding bid for St George’s and Colston Hall
Colston Hall and St George’s have been successful in a joint funding bid for £1.3m to boost music in the city.
Under the banner of Bristol Music Consortium, the two venues will use the money awarded via Arts Council England (ACE) over four years from 2018 to 2022 to bring world-class artists to the city and provide more opportunities for Bristol’s diverse communities to experience music and music making.
The money will also be spent on working with partners such as Ujima, Bristol Reggae Orchestra, BCFM and the Asian Arts Agency to reach all of Bristol’s communities, and securing more performances from black and minority ethnic artists and those with special educational needs and disabilities.
Children’s music will be supported through St George’s Cosmos Children’s Community Choir for school children living in disadvantaged areas, and also for the high profile annual Hoo Ha! free family festival at Colston Hall.
There will also be increased support for young people looking to develop a career in music and for aspiring urban artists, along with St George’s work providing support for local refugee artists.
Bristol Music Trust chief executive Louise Mitchell said: “Together we are committed to leading and delivering an inspiring, wide-ranging music programme that brings benefits to every person in the city, and this award will enable us to be even more ambitious and reach even further into communities.”
St George’s chief executive Suzanne Rolt added: “It is thanks to funding that we can bring an extraordinary range of world-class artists to the southwest, and to our unique creative space, as well as nurturing new composers and locally-based young musicians.”
Last year, the two venues received major capital investment from ACE. £10m was made available for the redevelopment of the Colston Hall, while St George’s was awarded £1.76m towards its own major rebuilding project which is currently underway.
Read more: Bristol arts organisations celebrate funding
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