The Menuhin Hall has received a lifeline grant of £51,000 from the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help offset the impact of almost a year of closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than £300 million has been awarded to thousands of cultural organisations across the country including The Menuhin Hall in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced on 1 April.
The grant from the Culture Recovery Fund will play a critical part in helping The Menuhin Hall to recover from the severe losses of the past 12 months, and relaunch its vibrant programme of public concerts, masterclasses, lectures and other events, which will be open to the public from June 2021. This year, the Hall will also throw its most ambitious Summer Festival to date, from 3 to 13 July, hosting a variety of events for local arts lovers and families, the details of which will be announced at the end of April.
This award will also contribute to the development of The Virtual Menuhin Hall, which will offer live-streamed concerts and masterclasses to audiences around the world. This new initiative builds on the success of “The Menuhin Hall at Home”, a virtual series of delayed-broadcast concerts that was developed as a direct response to the COVID pandemic, and which reached audiences from North America to Japan.
Over £800 million in grants and loans has already been awarded to support almost 3,800 cinemas, performance venues, museums, heritage sites and other cultural organisations dealing with the immediate challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.
Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, said:
“Our record breaking Culture Recovery Fund has already helped thousands of culture and heritage organisations across the country survive the biggest crisis they've ever faced.
Now we’re staying by their side as they prepare to welcome the public back through their doors - helping our cultural gems plan for reopening and thrive in the better times ahead."
Director of Music, Ashley Wass, said:
“We are delighted to receive this support from the Culture Recovery Fund, to help us recover from an exceptionally challenging year and throw open our doors once again. The Menuhin Hall is a source of great pride and enjoyment for the community and we cannot wait to welcome back our loyal audiences, and share with them once again the immense joy of live music-making.
We are grateful to the Government for recognising the vital role that the performing arts play in fostering vibrant and open communities. The pandemic has brought into sharp focus how much poorer our societies would be, were it not for the extraordinarily rich cultural sector of which we are privileged to be a part.”
Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England, said:
“Investing in a thriving cultural sector at the heart of communities is a vital part of helping the whole country to recover from the pandemic. These grants will help to re-open theatres, concert halls, and museums and will give artists and companies the opportunity to begin making new work. We are grateful to the Government for this support and for recognising the paramount importance of culture to our sense of belonging and identity as individuals and as a society.”
The funding awarded today is from a £400 million pot which was held back last year to ensure the Culture Recovery Fund could continue to help organisations in need as the public health picture changed. The funding has been awarded by Arts Council England, as well as Historic England and National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Film Institute."