Volunteers in action
Activities and events organised by our supporters to raise money for Musequality projects.
In concert
Accordion virtuoso Milos Milivojevic joins David Juritz on the violin for a programme of music by Bach, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Piazzolla at the beautiful house of Elisabeth & Bob Boas, 22 Mansfield Street, London W1, on Monday 5 March. The event, in aid of Musequality, will include a short film about the charity’s work with deprived children in the developing world. The evening starts at 7pm with drinks, followed by supper at around 9.15pm. Tickets cost £65 from Isobel King 020 8996 7305 Email us
Brass for Africa
The Silver Screen Big Band will be staging an audiovisual spectacular to support the Good Shepherd Home in Kampala. There will be two performances on Friday 11 and Saturday 12 May at The Wokingham Theatre, Twyford Road, Wokingham, at 7.30pm. Tickets are £10 from Bracknell Open Learning Centre, Rectory Lane, Bracknell, or Newbury Building Society, Broad Street, Wokingham. EmailOn the road
Anthony Hewitt, the Olympianist, is marking the build-up to London 2012 and raising money for Musequality by cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats. He will be travelling the length and breadth of the land from 9 to 29 May 2012 – with piano in tow to give recitals along the way.
As for his exact route, that is for you to decide. You can bring Anthony to your town or village to perform for you. His route will evolve as more dates are added. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a piano – he’s bringing his own, in a truck named Van Beethoven.
If you don’t have a hall, he’ll perform in your market square. Or a field. If you would like to invite the Olympianist to your community, click here. But hurry – his diary is filling up fast.
Singing soprano
The British soprano Patricia Rozario, who was born in Mumbai, was the star attraction at a recent benefit concert in aid of the Child’s Play (India) Foundation in Goa. Two of her students, Joanne D’Mello and Susanna Hurrell, also performed to a full house.Chiswick Baroque
Chiswick Baroque are giving an afternoon concert of Advent music at Holy Innocents Church W6,11 December 4-6pm.
Programme will include works by Philips, Hassler and Sibelius with Advent carols from mediaeval to 21st century. Also the premiere of a commissioned setting of Psalm 84 by Harper.
50% of the gate money will go to Musequality.
Retiring personalities
Spare a thought for Jeremy Bradshaw, one of our founding trustees, who took early retirement in May this year and may have looked forward to some peace and quiet. Instead he stepped into the role of Musequality’s executive director and is rapidly discovering that though the position doesn’t come with any kind of payment it does carry a huge workload. He’s doing a brilliant job.
Meanwhile David Tomlinson has been working with Musequality for a year since he retired. His role is to organise our annual World Busk and he has now been inspired to learn a musical instrument. He aims to become competent enough on the clarinet to join the World Busk 2012 ‘without frightening the horses!’ He also intends to raise £1,000 through a sponsored practice, so please encourage him with a donation. Visit his fundraising page.
Special concert
Bracknell and Wokingham Community Band gave a free end-of-term concert at Addington School, an extreme special needs school in Woodley, Reading. At one point, a young Down’s syndrome boy took the baton and conducted the band through a spirited rendering of ‘Hawaii Five-O’. The concert was the highlight of a week of fundraising events on the theme of Africa. There was an African market, African drummers, and cakes were baked and sold, with profits going to Musequality.
Cross-country run
Karim Attia and friends Simon and Andy ran from one side of the UK to the other in April to raise money for Musequality. The hardy trio loped from Arnside in Cumbria to Saltburn-by-the-Sea in Cleveland –120 miles across some very rugged terrain, including the Pennines and the North Yorkshire Moors.
- 2011
- 2010
- 2009
- Past events
July 2011
Big result
Among the many success stories of this year’s World Busk was Little Brian’s Little Big Band, (musicians from Bracknell and Wokingham Community Band and Berkshire Maestros), which raised an amazing £2,322 over the course of the week. This money is being used specifically to provide prosthetic limbs for 14-year-old Tadeo, who lost both his hands and his feet in a fire and is currently learning to play the trombone at the Good Shepherd Home in the Mengo slum in Kampala.
April 2011
The sound of silence
In April a cappella vocal group Chiswick Baroque raised money for Musequality by providing an hour of musical meditation, interspersing contemplative music with periods of silence. The event was part of the Lenten meditation programme at St Saviour’s Church, Shepherd’s Bush, London. Music included several of Victoria’s Tenebrae sentences, Tallis, Byrd, Tchaikovsky, chorales from the Bach Passions and music by CB’s director Celia Harper.
March 2011
Brass for Africa
Sixty musicians from Bracknell and Wokingham Community Band (BWCB) performed in St Paul’s Church, Wokingham, on Saturday 26 March.
BWCB and Berkshire Maestros, in partnership with Musequality, are raising money to support the Good Shepherd Home in the Mengo slum of Kampala, Uganda. Money raised is match-funded by Musequality and goes directly to providing brass instruments and music tuition to orphaned, disabled and destitute children, giving them a truly life-enriching experience.
January 2011
Quartet of Peace and London Chamber Music Society
Our heartfelt thanks go to the Quartet of Peace and London Chamber Music Society who have raised over £4,000 in funds and support in kind through concerts in November and December 2010.
December 2010
Quartet of Peace
The Quartet of Peace gave a concert in the Thomaskirche, Leipzig, to raise money for Musequality. The concert, which was generously supported by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Friends of the Gewandhaus, raised money for L’Orchestre Symphonique Kimbanguiste, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Quartet has also performed in King’s Place, London and Paris in aid of Musequality. They played Bach, Mozart and a piece by Eugene Skeef. Gareth Lubbe, viola and overtone singer, gave a remarkable performance.YouTube
September 2010
Immanuel Church, Swindon
Musequality was the beneficiary of the Harvest Appeal at the Immanuel Church in Swindon. The congregation raised an amazing £2,935.16 which will be used to support the Elgon Brass Band in Mbale, Uganda.
June 2010
World Busk
The World Busk took place on 7-13 June 2010 to raise money to rebuild music projects in Haiti. Buskers included the Mahler Chamber Orchestra with Andrew Manze in Vienna. There were buskers in Japan, Crete, Italy, Oman, and a very good turnout in the UK. US buskers included six-year-old Thomas Vranker in Rhode Island, who busked three times during the week, The Ryeland Harp Ring, a massed harp orchestra in Pennsylvania, and a celtic group, The Dusty Buskers in Pittsburgh.
April 2010
Practice makes perfect
Children at the
On her bike
Jane Ingamells, head of strings at the Portsmouth Grammar School, and her husband celebrated their silver wedding anniversary by setting off on a 500-mile round trip by tandem to a village on the Lincolnshire coast where the first recorded Ingamells lived. Jane also staged a classical concert at her school.
February 2010
A very special birthday
Elisabeth Whittaker celebrated her birthday in flamboyant style at Bush Hall in West London. The 120 guests from all over the world enjoyed music played by the London Tango Quintet and a cabaret appearance from Elisabeth. The evening was delightful and raised around £5,000 for Musequality.
December 2009
Christmas melodies
Melodi Music Trust, a 24-piece wind band from Soweto, will take part in a Christmas concert with London Choral and St Michael and All Angels’ Junior Choir, with readings by Niamh Cusack. The 24 talented young Sowetan musicians from the Trust will be directed by founder Nimrod Moloto.
November 2009
West London concert
Central Harmony, a west London choir directed by Clare Delmar and James Davey, joined the Bridge Quartet and musicians from the Raj Academy for a delightful concert at All Saints Church in Isleworth
July 2009
Concert for Musequality
Julian Dawes, pianist, songwriter and composer, held a concert in aid of Musequality on Sunday, 5 July at Lauderdale House, Highgate Hill, Waterlow Park, London N6. With sopranos Rosalind Coad and Ilona Domnich; mezzo sopranos Martha Jones and Camille Maalawy; tenor Paul Curievici; clarinettist Hannah Morgan and Julian on piano – and with songs by Julian and additional pieces by the French composer Maite Erra – the evening was entertaining and fun.
June 2009
World Busk
Setting a new world record
The Antarctic Minkes – three bass guitarists and one saxophonist – took part in the Musequality World Busk in June, 2009. They played in the ice, entertaining passers-by: the 20-strong crew members based at The British Antarctic Survey’s Rothera Research Station in Antarctica during the southern winter.
The World Busk took place over the course of a week and raised more than £14,000 for music projects. The Antarctic Minkes were among 811 buskers performing in 75 locations in 17 countries on every one of the world’s seven continents (and one sea). They included soloists, mass buskers and speed buskers.
May 2009
Bach Cantatas
David Juritz joins The West London Bach Players and Consort, conducted by Sandy Burnett, on their epic performing cycle of J S Bach’s sacred cantatas. There was a retiring collection for projects including the Upper Room and Musequality. Sandy talks about the Cantatas on YouTube.
March 2009
Round Britain fundraising expedition – in a kayak
Graham King, a former IT consultant from west London, has set off in his kayak to canoe round Britain – fulfilling a long-held ambition, while fundraising for Musequality and the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Starting from Teddington Lock, where the river Thames goes tidal, he is travelling clockwise, along the north Kent coast, past Land’s End, round John O’Groats and down the North Sea coast before heading upstream through the Thames.
Rag week
The Royal College of Music students' association was on the streets of London, indulging in this unique British activity – entertaining passers-by during Rag Week. A few brave professors attempted Grade I music examinations after just one week's tuition on a new instrument.
January 2009
Seven centuries of music
The rafters of St Michael and All Angels, Bedford Park, London filled with the glorious voices of Chiswick Baroque, led by composer Celia Harper, in a programme of music from the 14th to the 21st centuries. The concert raised over £500 for Musequality.
June 2008
Walking for Musequality
A big thank you to Sylvia Trench who walked the 500 mile-long Camino de Santiago, from the Pyrenees in France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, and raised £1,000 for us.
Official charity at Bedford Park Festival
We were thrilled to receive a donation of £9,000 as one of the official charities at the 2008 Bedford Park Festival, a traditional fete and craft fair. We also ran a stall on Acton Green (opposite Turnham Green tube station, where David Juritz launched his busking tour), selling raffle tickets and button badges.
April 2008
Fundraising concert
Friends and supporters of Musequality, including trustee Sir Humphrey Maud, performed music by Spohr and Bach at a fundraising concert on 24 April in the Michael Room, St Michael and All Angels, Chiswick, London W4. The concert raised over £600 for Musequality.
January 2008
Sponsored music practice pilot a success
Pupils from Kew College, Kew, Surrey, took part in our first ever sponsored music practice, running a pilot project to help us set up a successful scheme. James Allen’s Saturday School for the Performing Arts launched its sponsored practice with a stunning concert from the staff.
December 2007
Carol concert raises funds for Musequality
The London Chorus held a special Carols Plus fundraising concert at St Michael and All Angels church in Chiswick, west London. The programme included readings from actor Richard Briers and a performance of Ferdinand the Bull from David Juritz, with Ronald Corp conducting.
October 2007
Last busk at Number 10
After nearly five months busking Round the World and Bach, David Juritz gave his last performance on the streets (this time round) on the steps of 10 Downing Street. He’d busked in 50 cities in 24 countries in every continent other than Antarctica. He played the entire repertoire for solo violin by Bach and repeated the E major prelude over 300 times. His last busk was recorded and appeared on the Number 10 website.