 The Summer Season of concerts has arrived and with its arrival we celebrate the Orpheus Foundation’s journey to Covent Garden, while St George’s Hanover Square undergoes refurbishment. The concerts will be taking place at St Paul’s Covent Garden – the Actors’ Church – a venue that is very close to my own heart and I should like to extent my thanks to Reverend Simon Grigg and Charles Grant for offering my Foundation their kind support. Particular thanks are of course due to our Board of Directors, who are good enough to give of their time and who hold a high burden of responsibility under the brilliant stewardship of our new Chairman, David Shaw. We owe a further debt of gratitude to Christopher Holder for his masterful direction of fundraising, which has included the successful launch of our new Orpheus Chair Endowment Scheme (attracting seven subscribers at the time of writing) and a valuable agreement with MariaMarina Foundation in Liechtenstein which has facilitated improved staffing arrangements and an increase in the support that we are able to offer the members of our orchestra. All of this is marvellous news! I am grateful also to the recent donations of sponsorship that have been secured through Paul Lewis of Stanhope PLC and Bryan Laxton of Cushman Wakefield and also to Andrew Hynard of Jones Lang LaSalle - for his generous continuing provision of an office. The Orpheus Foundation treasures all the donations it receives. Indeed I very much look forward to thanking major donors at my annual lunch party on 1st June. Chris Moreton, whose sterling management of the Friends Scheme has meant so much to the life of the Foundation, will be retiring in June. I know that many will join me in offering him grateful thanks on behalf of the Foundation for his dedicated work. Thanks are due also to Trevor and Elizabeth Gore, Trevor’s sister Alison, and all of their family for being kind enough once again to host the Orpheus Sinfonia’s concert at Radley Farm. It only remains for me to wish Marc Corbett-Weaver, his team of fine musicians and everyone involved in our Summer Season every success it what will undoubtedly be a milestone of musical excellence!
Brilliant young musicians of rare talent and exceptional
promise travel to London, the musical capital of the world,
to train at our leading conservatoires. Even for the very
finest, a hurdle that can be insurmountable is the gap between
college training and commercial work. The difficulty of acquiring
experience in the musical world is as great as in any other
profession. The Orpheus Foundation provides that missing
stepping-stone, enabling a classroom talent to grow into
a public performer.
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