community music groups: small grants available
A small grants fund has been established to enable community music groups to perform in the To Absent Friends festival from 1-7 November 2017.
About the festival
To Absent Friends is an annual festival of storytelling and remembrance that takes place across Scotland each November. A chance to celebrate and remember people who have died, the festival encompasses a range of public and community events, including concerts, music nights, exhibitions and spoken word performances.
What is a To Absent Friends concert?
To Absent Friends concerts celebrate and commemorate people who have died. Musically, this is a theme that is hugely open to interpretation, but might include... music of mourning such as a requiem or a lament... music written by an artist who has died... music that brings back memories of someone who has died... music that evokes strong emotions or inspires reflection... music from films with themes of loss... and so much more.
An example: the Edinburgh Brass Band
Edinburgh Brass Band is a community brass band based in the centre of Edinburgh, with players ranging from student to retirement age.
For the last three years, the band has held a To Absent Friends concert in November, working in partnership with local church St John's who provide a beautiful venue for the concerts.
Programmes have included a terrific variety of music, from Danny Boy to Schindler's List, and from Bowie's Life on Mars to Elgar's Nimrod. The band has involved a local choir in the performance, and provided free tickets to enable the attendance of some of Edinburgh’s most vulnerable citizens. The concert is promoted to the local community, and has attracted more people each year. Band members are involved in the choice of music, and within the programme dedicate pieces of music to friends and family who have died.
"The band are extremely committed to the festival
and this is now an eagerly anticipated event in our calendar.”
A Concert in Every City
To enable To Absent Friends concerts to take place in towns and cities across Scotland this November, small grants of up to £350 are now available for bands, choirs and orchestras who wish to hold a remembrance concert for their local community.
How do we apply for a grant?
All kinds of community music groups are welcome to apply for a small grant and be part of the festival, including choirs, orchestras, school groups, jazz bands, brass bands, wind bands, samba bands, folk groups... everyone. We also welcome joint applications if several groups who would like to work together to put on a concert.
The deadline for applications is 23 August 2017. Since we understand that a lot of planning may be required to put on a concert, we will assess each application as soon as possible after it has been submitted. Where an application is successful we aim to provide funding as quickly as possible, therefore there may be an advantage to getting your application in early.
A short grant application form and guidance notes for applicants are provided below.
