A new initiative that aims to train and develop emerging music ensembles has secured almost €2m in European Union funding.
Eight arts organisations from across the continent have banded together to secure Creative Europe funding for the large-scale cooperative project.
Led by the France’s Ambronay cultural centre, EEEmerging European Ensembles has been awarded a grant of €1.97m, which will be shared by the eight key partners over the course of four years.
The scheme aims to increase equality in the options open to young ensembles, to provide them with excellent working conditions and a network of places for training. The project will also offer guidance for the ensembles’ projects, and help them negotiate the early music market in Europe. Ensembles will receive support over a one- to three-year period.
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The funded organisations are: Ambronay Cultural Encounter Centre, France; Ghislierimusica in Pavia, Italy; Early Music Centre at the National University of Music in Bucharest, Romania; Göttingen International Handel Festival in Germany; Ars Ramovš in Ljubljana, Slovenia; Riga Early Music Centre in Latvia; Ozango Productions in Strasbourg, France; and the National Centre for Early Music in York, UK.
The grant will enable NCEM (pictured) to enhance its support of young emerging early music ensembles by hosting six residencies at the centre in York between 2015 and 2018. The organisation will support the biennial York Early Music International Young Artists Competition.
NCEM director Delma Tomlin said: ‘As a result of this enlightened partnership with our colleagues across Europe, we are delighted that the highly acclaimed International Young Artists Competition – held biennially as part of the York Early Music Festival – will be one of the main ways of discovering new ensembles. Our co-organisers will attend the competition and will offer one or two selected ensembles the opportunity to proceed directly to the first year of the EEEmerging project.’
She added: ‘There is a startling lack of provision for young ensembles to spend time together honing the important skills of ensemble playing, much less any formal support in terms of organising and marketing their work. Through the EEEmerging project we will provide a series of packages comprising training in social media, marketing and outreach work, while offering rehearsal time to musicians to give them an opportunity to work on their repertoire.’