Live Music Now

Live Music Now
Name	Live Music Now
Founded	1977
Founder	Yehudi Menuhin
Location	United Kingdom; Germany; Netherlands
Focus	Music education; community engagement; social welfare

Live Music Now

Live Music Now is a charitable organization established in 1977 to bring live performance by professional musicians into hospitals, care homes, special schools and community settings. Founded amid connections to prominent musicians and cultural institutions, the organization links professional performers with audiences in non-traditional venues across the United Kingdom and continental Europe. Its activities intersect with major festivals, conservatoires, broadcasting bodies and welfare institutions.

History

Live Music Now emerged in 1977 under the patronage of Yehudi Menuhin, developed through networks that included Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Royal College of Music, Royal Northern College of Music and European conservatoires such as the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg and Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Early partnerships involved venues and organizations like the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Proms, Glyndebourne, Edinburgh International Festival and social institutions including Great Ormond Street Hospital, St Thomas' Hospital and Barnet Hospital. The scheme expanded alongside advocacy movements exemplified by figures associated with Amnesty International, Save the Children, Age UK and disability-focused groups such as Mencap and Scope. Over decades Live Music Now intersected with funding and policy shifts involving bodies like the Arts Council England, National Lottery, European Cultural Foundation, Nesta and local authorities including Greater London Authority and Glasgow City Council.

Mission and Activities

The stated mission centers on delivering interactive performances in partnership with institutions such as National Health Service, NHS Trusts, specialist schools like TreeHouse School and charitable organizations like Marie Curie and Mind. Activities include residencies in venues tied to age UK projects, music-making with participants from organizations such as Royal British Legion, refugee charities including Refugee Council and community groups linked to Citizens Advice hubs. The program model aligns with public health research institutions such as King's College London, University College London, University of Oxford and University of Cambridge which study arts and health, as well as with policy forums like All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arts, Health and Wellbeing.

Programs and Projects

Programs have ranged from one-off interactive concerts at festivals including the Glastonbury Festival, Latitude Festival, Cheltenham Music Festival and Hay Festival to sustained projects with specialist partners such as Royal Hospital Chelsea, St Andrew's Healthcare, Turning Point and Mind in the City, Hackney and Waltham Forest. Collaborative projects involved orchestras and ensembles like the London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, English National Opera, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, London Sinfonietta and chamber groups associated with Almeida Theatre and Royal Opera House. International exchanges linked to institutions such as the Goethe-Institut, British Council, European Commission cultural programmes and city partners like Berlin Senate and Municipality of Amsterdam broadened scope.

Notable Performers and Collaborations

Performers associated with the initiative include internationally known figures and ensembles from classical, jazz and world music scenes, working alongside soloists and chamber players from institutions such as Wigmore Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Opera, La Scala, Vienna State Opera and conservatoires including Curtis Institute of Music. Collaborations involved artists linked to awards and competitions like the Turner Prize, Grammy Awards, Mercury Prize, Royal Philharmonic Society Awards, BBC Young Musician and the Naumburg Competition. Partnerships with media and broadcasting organisations such as BBC Radio 3, Classic FM, ITV and Channel 4 increased visibility alongside advocacy by public figures connected to Charity Commission for England and Wales and philanthropic trusts such as Wellcome Trust, Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Gordon and Anita Roddick Foundation.

Organizational Structure and Funding

The organization operates through regional branches and boards linked to institutional partners like City of London Corporation, Arts Council of Wales, Creative Scotland, Northern Ireland Arts Council and municipal arts offices in Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and Leeds. Funding streams have included grants from Arts Council England, endowments from charitable trusts such as Nesta, family foundations associated with figures like Lord Menuhin and corporate partners in philanthropy networks including Bloomberg Philanthropies and Barclays UK. Governance involves trustees and patrons drawn from performing arts institutions including Royal Opera House, English National Ballet, Sadler's Wells Theatre and academic partners at Royal Holloway, University of London and Goldsmiths, University of London.

Impact and Reception

Evaluations and impact studies have been undertaken with academic partners such as King's College London, University of York, University of Manchester and health research units affiliated with NHS England, demonstrating outcomes relevant to mental health charities like Samaritans and elderly care organisations including Age Concern. Critical reception in the press has appeared in outlets including The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Times, Financial Times and specialist journals associated with Routledge and Oxford University Press; broadcasters including BBC Radio 4 and BBC Television have profiled projects. The initiative is cited in discussions of arts policy by parliamentary committees and cultural commentators associated with Institute of Contemporary Arts and Clore Leadership Programme.

Category:Music charities Category:Arts organisations established in 1977