Welcome.
If you’ve landed here, you probably like what we do. That makes us very happy – we would be nothing without the community of audiences, artists and collaborators who believe in our work.
This year, we need your support more than ever. It’s a very tough time in the UK arts scene, and with less funding and more competition than ever, there is a very real risk that the incredible progress we have made in the last seven years will be undone.
Your contribution is vital in helping us sustain our commitment to excellence, innovation and access. So don’t leave it to the next person. Every act counts.
Here are some of the ways you can help.
LEVEL ONE
On The Road
Donate today or set up a monthly gift.
Our work isn’t just about the great concert halls. We’re committed to touring our shows to cities and venues where classical music is a little harder to come by – venues like Future Yard in Birkenhead, where local residents can get MC tickets for just £5.
A fiver for the same quality that you get at the Southbank Centre or Manchester International Festival isn’t a bad deal at all. But of course, those ticket prices don’t come close to covering the cost of the work. Our supporters are what keep the tour bus on the road.
Of course, we recognise that a small donation for one person might constitute a major gift for another. We value each act of support.
Black Angels at Future Yard, Birkenhead
LEVEL TWO
Brave New Music
Join our commissioning club for £500 annually, or £40/month.
Making brilliant new music is our bread and butter, and by supporting this fund you are helping commission the stone-cold classics of the future – pieces like ‘Neon’, a woozy, trancelike work written for us in 2020 by Hannah Peel.
Hannah’s piece has made it all the way from Salford and Birkenhead to the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, via an international record release… So, you see, small gestures add up to something big.
A new musical work can cost anywhere from £2,500 to £20,000, often taking many months for the composer to create. By joining our community of commissioners, New Music Supporters will have a chance to get closer to our work and gain access to:
An annual pre-show drinks event
Early access to recordings and concert films
A dedicated contact within the Manchester Collective team
The sweet satisfaction of bringing brand-new work into the world
LEVEL THREE
Artist Patrons
Become an Artist Patron for £1,200 annually, or £100/month.
Our shows are loved by audiences and critics alike because we work with the very best – artists like our Artistic Director Rakhi Singh, or the extraordinary Beibei Wang, who joined us for Heavy Metal and Neon.
On average, it costs us about £1,800 to employ a single musician for a Manchester Collective project. And that’s not including the cost of their travel or accommodation while on the road. For a string orchestra show featuring 17 musicians, we’re looking at artist costs upwards of £30,000.
Our Artist Patrons allow us to continue working with these top players, gaining insights into the creative process and the lives of our musicians along the way. Artist Patrons enjoy all the benefits of our Level Two supporters, as well as:
Exclusive behind-the-scenes invitations to observe our rehearsal process and meet the players
A celebratory dinner with our Artistic Directors
Manchester Collective co-founder Rakhi Singh
LEVEL FOUR
Future Fund
Help secure the future of Manchester Collective with a gift of £5,000 or more.
If you have the means and would like to make a larger investment in our work, then please contact us. With your help, we can change the future of classical music.
Perhaps you’d be interested in sponsoring a major new work: taking a piece of art from conception all the way to performance on the international stage. Or maybe you’re all about the artists, and you’d like to directly support the chair of our Artistic Director, Rakhi Singh.
Perhaps your passion is education, and you want to enable a crucial new strand of artist development work, delivering cutting-edge training for freelance musicians, reaching young artists from underrepresented backgrounds, or enriching the classical scene in the north.
Perhaps you are interested in our bravest, riskiest projects. Whatever it is, let us know.
To join our Future Fund, please contact Linda Begbie on +44 7951 790703 or linda@manchestercollective.co.uk.
The Oracle at Bridgewater Hall, Manchester
With thanks to our current major donors, and to those who have chosen to give anonymously.
Alex Begbie
Helen Gilman & Malcolm Pitcher
Catrin Griffiths
Jo Holden
Emma Howard-Boyd & Iain Boyd
Peter Kenyon
Mollie Marshall
David & Mary McKeith
Ben McKnight
Hans Mock
John Nicholas
Richard Nowell
Huw Purssell
Adrienne Spilsbury
Martin Staniforth
Mike Taylor
Christopher & Karen Vaughan
Helen Wallace
Experimental programming.
Daring collaborations.
Radical human experiences.
