By Camilla Scarlett | General Manager
Dear Supporter,
I'm writing to you now to thank you for your contribution to La Serenissima's Artist Relief Fund.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic swept across the UK, closing public spaces and live events, we have raised more than £20,000 for the ARF - thanks to the generosity of our friends and followers. Whilst in many ways this figure might seem like a drop in the ocean in the context of our team of musicians and the financial challenges that they all faced during the period of lockdown and subsequent months of phased reopening, the creation of the fund was a significant act of empowerment for the organisation. It enabled us to help those individuals who needed support, particularly those who fell through the cracks of the government support package when it arrived. We continue to steward ARF monies and offer flexible grants to those musicians who need a helping hand, as well as make payments to those affected by the cancellation of concerts. This is a great boost to morale as the cost of living crisis continues to loom large in the UK.
Adrian and I remain hugely appreciative of all those who have shown their support to La Serenissima and its team of talented musicians. Without these guys, we can't make our recordings or create the performances that have won so many of our followers over. It has never been a harder time to make ends meet for professional musicians.
We have made the tough decision to close the ARF now and focus on the mounting challenges which face us as we try to return to pre-pandemic levels of activity. This means that fundraising going forwards will support the organisation's artistic activities which will benefit our musicians through increased opportunities to work. We hope this will be a positive step for everyone involved in our mission.
La Serenissima continues to operate from a remote office in rural Gloucestershire with a pared-down team of 2 running everything from sales, schedules and fixing to fundraising, marketing and fulfilling governance requirements. We are the same team that are researching and editing the music that you hear, performing in the concerts as violinists and dreaming up new strategies and programming plans. It's a tough act these days because promoter budgets are pinched beyond recognition and the number of classical music series and festivals are greatly reduced compared to 5 or 10 years ago. The charity's earned income has consequently dropped dramatically, making it necessary to fundraise to support the majority of the group's activity.
At this point, I'd love to remind fans that a little support goes a long way with our lean organisation. If you love what we do, now is the time to renew your commitment to La Serenissima! We have created a new GlobalGiving campaign to underpin our project plans and we would encourage you to donate to that if possible. We would also love to hear from anyone wishing to donate directly to La Serenissima as a new Patron - for more information, please email camilla@laserenissima.co.uk It will also be possible to donate to our website using Stripe - two new Support pages will be made live this week. Watch this space!
We know that these are concerning times for many throughout the world. Thank you for your support to La Serenissima's work: with your help, we will continue to enrich lives through sharing our passion for Italian baroque music.
Camilla & Adrian
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