Excellence in the arts

sir – Among the four key criteria that organisations must demonstrate in order to qualify for Arts Council funding (Arts, January 27) are inclusivity and relevance. Notable by its absence is excellence.

I wonder how many of the 5,250 people filling the Albert Hall for a Proms performance of, say, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony are worrying about questions of relevance or elitism as they listen to the music. The same applies to audiences of La Boheme at Opera North in Leeds, for example.

It is vitally important that the arts are available to everyone, especially in schools and among the young. But it is surely essential to open awareness and appreciation of the greatest achievements (past and present) in all the arts, and not to imply that they are only for the privileged.

The Arts Council should learn from the inspiring example of Gareth Malone. His acclaimed television series have shown how he has awakened astonishing performing talents, and a love of all forms of sung music, among institutions that never dreamt of such things before.

Sir Angus Stirling

London W14

sir – Ivan Hewett’s piece on Arts Council England’s new 10-year strategy is a howl of pain from a man passionate about his cause but overlooking the bigger picture.

Culture is not a club: it’s for everyone. Artists, arts organisations, museums and libraries – and the ambitious, high-quality work they create – will remain central to everything the Arts Council does over the next decade. But so, too, will the nurturing of artists and the support for communities in new places. Arts funding should never be reduced to a series of binary decisions. The work we support can and should be both excellent and meaningful to audiences, just as classical music should thrive alongside other genres.

Our support for world-leading opera in the heart of our cities is as important as backing globally acclaimed brass bands in our towns. Those who already enjoy the benefits that high-quality culture brings to their lives understand just how enriching it is. Our job over the next 10 years is to ensure that everyone in England can share in those riches.

Darren Henley

Chief Executive, Arts Council England London WC1