Money or nothing… chamber orchestra in £1m survival appeal after Arts Council cut

THE only professional orchestra in the east of England has been forced to launch a £1million appeal for its survival after the Arts Council withdrew its funding.

The Britten Sinfonia described the decision as “baffling”, leaving it facing collapse if it is unable to raise the amount it needs to carry on its work.

This includes not only public performances, but work in more than 80 schools and community and health facilities across the region.

Its appeal has won the backing of Judith Weir, the Royal Household’s Master of the King’s Music, who described the Britten Sinfonia as “widely considered to be the UK’S finest chamber orchestra”.

The sinfonia, which is based in Cambridge and has residencies in Norwich and Essex, but also works across Suffolk and Lincolnshire, has built up an international reputation.

The Arts Council decision to withdraw funding in order to concentrate on what it said was a more equal distribution of money around the country has left it with a shortfall of £1million.

Nicholas Daniel, one of the sinfonia’s founding members, said this was “not the way to level up” arts funding.

“It is so easy to lose something in this current climate; it’s so easy to just throw it away and we have to fight,” he said. “We agree that more people should have access to quality live music in the community, but this is not the way to do it – to cut the only [professional] orchestra [in the area] out of the national portfolio. We are utterly baffled.”

The Arts Council said: “We had to make difficult decisions ...We are talking to them about their future plans and alternative funding opportunities.”