Spitalfields Music is a music charity based in the Bethnal Green area of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The charity aims to strengthen the local community through musical events. Spitalfields Music is a registered charity number 1052043. The charity's work consists of producing music festivals that celebrate the very best music, both old and new, and a "Learning & Participation" programme, which undertakes projects throughout the year with participants drawn from across the Tower Hamlets community. Several new works are commissioned each year for the festival.
1977 – In the summer the first official festival occurred. It was run by Friends of Christ Church, which had been formed the previous year after the single event had been held.
1989 – The Festival Council was formed and more importantly so was the Education and Community Programme.
2003 – Christ Church was unavailable due to renovation works so the festival was spread around 13 venues.
2005 – Winner of the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award for Education from Spitalfields Festival commission of Jonathan Dove's community cantata On Spital Fields.
2020 - The festival was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Learning and Participation Programme
Since the founding of the education programme in 1989, the work that Spitalfields Music does with the community of Tower Hamlets has grown considerably. It was an early pioneer in the field of arts festival education programmes in the UK. Spitalfields Music delivers a busy programme throughout the year, working in schools, special needs settings, care homes and community spaces. Alongside its Learning and Participation Programme, Spitalfields Music also runs a number of schemes to develop artists and music leaders of the future, including Trainee Music Leaders Scheme and Open Call.
Trainee Music Leaders Scheme
This is a year-long training programme for emerging music leaders to develop their skills as creative music leaders in learning and community settings, working with national partners including: Welsh National Opera, LSO Discovery, Opera North, Orchestras Live, Multi Story Orchestra and Southbank Sinfonia.
Open Call
Open Call is an open commissioning project that nurtures artists from diverse backgrounds to develop their compositional practice, developing early stage pieces to a work-in-progress stage, and testing new ways to connect their work to audiences.
Funding
Spitalfields Music is a charity and relies on grants, sponsorships, in kind help and donations to help run its festivals and the Learning and Participation Programme. They receive financial support from trusts, foundations, corporate giving, public funding and individual giving. They also earn a small percentage of their income from ticket sales from their festivals.
