Profile
With nearly twenty-five years' experience in the field, Classic Concerts Trust supports and promotes concerts, recordings and other musical projects of the highest possible quality. The trust provides advice and consultancy concerning any aspect of concert promotion, direct grant support for concerts or associated activities and in some cases undertakes full-scale promotion or management of concerts or other projects.
Mission
We believe that artistic experience brings huge value to quality of life and that as our world becomes ever-more technologically oriented people become increasingly alienated and in need of experiences to provide a means relating both to themselves and to others. We also believe that music is relevant to people of all walks of life, cultural background and ability.
Our mission is to produce great musical projects and innovative solutions for sharing them more effectively in the 21st century.
History
As well as working in London, over the past twenty-five years the trust has produced concerts all over south-east England. From 1994-2009 the key objective became securing a future for music at Watford Town Hall, possibly the finest hall for orchestral performance in England - one with an acoustic of justified international renown. After years of decline, it had been without professional concerts for two seasons when the trust commenced operation there in 1996. Through revising every element of the concert management there, average concert attendance increased by nearly 300% with a solid core of subscription sales. In succeeding years the audience profile was developed to include around 10% under the age of nineteen and the trust also established a loyal body of Friends and Patrons.
Further dynamic growth followed the introduction of an experimental business model (RAVE) in 2007. This proved hugely valuable in audience development, generating not only wider access – through lower prices – but increasing sales volume, donations, net revenue and, most importantly, audience engagement: by 2009 94% of tickets were sold on subscription.
As well as the introduction of a new business model for concerts, 2007 saw the trust’s first international co-operation, with its support of Yuri Simonov’s International Masterclass for conductors in Budapest. 2009 saw the start of a collaboration with the Radom Chamber Orchestra in Poland to provide conductors’ masterclasses and in 2010 a partnership with the Pille Lill Music Fund established a summer orchestral academy and conductors' masterclass in Estonia. Details are at www.conductorsacademy.org.
Future projects
Specific areas of interest at present are the development and support of networks and business models which can help to generate sustainable artistic projects and models for the 21st century. internally through partnerships and other mechanisms which can ultimately produce greater efficiency and externally through using models and collaborations which widen public access and interest in artistic work.
For 2010/11 the trust is launching a new series of chamber concerts in Watford using the RAVE business model which seeks to maximise Revenue, broaden Access, increase sales Volume and develop Engagement. Tickets for these concerts sold out almost immediately after the launch.
In London a new promotion, Chopin for a fiver, pairs this business model with 21st century marketing – an almost wholly online sales and booking operation aiming to maximise efficiency and minimise wastage: as well as being more economically effective this is also a far more environmentally-friendly system of interacting with our audience.
2011 will also see further developments in conductor training, with the continuation of existing partnerships in Poland and Estonia and an additional masterclass in St Petersburg.
Constitution
Classic Concerts Trust is a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity.
Registered in England No 2071722, Registered Charity No 295996.
Executive Management:
Jonathan Brett - Artistic Director
Lyn Mumford - Administrator
Board of Directors:
David Lees - Trustee
Phillip Money - Trustee
Jonathan Brett - Artistic Director