Melodians Year 2020

2020 started with 2 high profile engagements at Westminster Abbey in February and March. However, from then the world was in turmoil due to the Corona Virus and this impacted on all the Melodians plans for the year. None of the other booked engagements took place and rehearsals were only able to take place when Henry Cavendish School, where they are based, was open. The final lockdown, from November to December, imposed by the government meant that the planned Christmas Concert could not take place either as there was insufficient time to prepare.

There was also a significant financial effect from this. The first 2 high profile engagements in Westminster Abbey only covered the Melodians’ costs. From then any ongoing costs from rehearsing, maintaining the instruments, arranging tunes, insurance etc had to be covered by our dwindling finances.

Towards the end of the year we started to apply for funding from old and new supporters:

Arts Council England
The D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust
Foyle Foundation

In addition, Elimu approached Terry Noel to invite the Melodians to take part in their Arts Council sponsored project. Elimu has been awarded a grant to pilot a project that encourages and nurtures young talent in Carnival Arts with a 5-month placement with an experienced and successful arts practitioner or organisation. The placement with the Melodians will give participants participatory, learning & observational experiences. We plan on using the funding to provide our new players with experience of our rehearsals and production processes by work shadowing, assisting and participating in the band’s activities.

We were very pleased that they all accepted our applications and either provided a donation or committed to one in 2021. This means that we were able to start planning for our 2021 events.

In 2021 we hope to make up for being unable to hold an annual concert on 12th December 2020. Our current plans are for our normal Annual Concert in December 2021 but to also cheer everyone up when lockdown finishes by holding a concert in June. This will include a new tune ‘Recovery Rhythm’, created specifically to celebrate lockdown ending. The arrangements may be different and we may have fewer guests than usual but we plan on giving everyone a fabulous evening.