Volunteers in action

Activities and events organised by our supporters to raise money for Musequality projects.

Ironman Challenges

Having just finished his professional finance exams, Matthew Peacock has eschewed the party scene to take on two rather daunting challenges. He has signed up and will be competing in the Mallorca 70.3 Ironman on the 11 May and in the Zurich full Ironman on the 28 July. The Mallorca 70.3 consists of a 2km swim, a 90km bike ride and a 21km run. The Zurich Ironman consists of a 4km swim, a 180km bike ride and a 42km run. Matthew is raising funds for Musequality and we wish him well. Please donate as much as you feel able. More

Skydiving into the Money

Indefatigable Latymer Upper School has arranged for two teachers and 14 year-twelve children to take part in a tandem skydive to raise money for Musequality. The jump is booked for the 19 May 2013, subject to weather conditions. Latymer arranges two skydives a year. So far 67 students and six staff have skydived, raising £12,000 for charities including Whizzkids, The Teenage Cancer Trust, Hope HIV and Childhealth Advocacy International. The skydiving is organised by history teacher and pianist Barry Bladon who runs a Latin music group at the school consisting of over 15 musicians, singers, keyboard, trumpet, violin, bass, and percussion. The band plays a range of Latin styles including Charanga, Salsa, Samba, Bossa Nova, Bolero and Cha Cha Cha. More

Band Aid

Yet again LatymerUpper School came up trumps for Musequality. The sixth form organised a Band Night to raise funds to replace EYBB’s stolen instruments. They raised over £700 which helped the band to buy three trombones and five trumpets.

A Chorus of Approval

The North Suffolk Youth Choir organised a collection and a special concert in aid of EYBB’s stolen instrument fund. The choir performed a selection of songs mainly by Benjamin Britten to celebrate his centenary year.

Kids United

Over £1,000 has given by generous donors in the UK to Child’s Play (India) - a music project supported by Musequality. The organisation works to bring music and education to underprivileged children in India. More.

What’s in your retirement plan?

David Tomlinson has now passed his grade 4 clarinet exam, twenty months since first picking up the instrument. This is a new retirement hobby; one he wished he’d done many years ago. David has already raised over £500 for Musequality through sponsorship. Why not follow his example? Use your new freedom to learn that instrument you’d always wished you’d played as a child and in doing so, raise money to help our street children turn their lives around. More

The Sound of Silence

Long term supporters of Musequality, Chiswick Baroque, performed a meditative and reflective fundraising concert in March at St Saviour’s Church in West London. The contemplative repertoire included works by Victoria, Bach, Morales, Tchaikovsky and Celia Harper.

Skydiving into the Money

Indefatigable Latymer Upper School has arranged for two teachers and 14 year-twelve children to take part in a tandem skydive to raise money for Musequality. The jump is booked for the 19 May 2013, subject to weather conditions. Latymer arranges two skydives a year. So far 67 students and six staff have skydived, raising £12,000 for charities including Whizzkids, The Teenage Cancer Trust, Hope HIV and Childhealth Advocacy International. The skydiving is organised by Latymer teacher Barry Bladon history teacher and a keen musician, who says this will be his seventh jump with the school for charity.

Christmas events for Musequality

Chiswick Baroque, a five-voice a cappella singing group, signals the start of the festive season with a concert of advent music at 4pm on Sunday 2 December at the Church of the Holy Innocents, Paddenswick Road, Hammersmith. Come along and enjoy the performance, which will include traditional and modern advent carols as well as a cappella music from the 11th to the 21st centuries. Half the money raised will go to Musequality.

Two west London schools will be entertaining Christmas shoppers as they busk to raise money for Musequality. Children from the Chiswick and Bedford Park Preparatory School, led by Natalie Simmons, will perform outside Waterstones in Chiswick on Saturday 1 December at 4.30pm. The choir of West London Free School, meanwhile, will sing outside the Lyric theatre in Hammersmith on Wednesday 12 December in the Christmas Choir Competition.

Candles, carols, children singing, audience carols, mulled wine...what better way to welcome in Christmas? And it's all for charity too... Come and join Fulham Camerata and Fulham Children's Choir for a wonderful Christmas concert in support of Musequality. 7pm, 15 December, St Andrew's Church W14 9SA
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Candles, carols, children singing, audience carols, mulled wine...what better way to welcome in Christmas? And it's all for charity too... Come and join Fulham Camerata and Fulham Children's Choir for a wonderful Christmas concert in support of Musequality. 7pm, 15 December, St Andrew's Church W14 9SA

Fundraising the Pennines way

In August cyclist Cluny Macpherson completed a 100-mile bike ride through the Yorkshire Dales to raise nearly £1,500 for Musequality. Along with hundreds of other participants in the organised event, he rode for nine hours through pouring rain, braving steep hills and wayward cows to earn our awed admiration and grateful thanks.

The epic ride, titled ‘King of the Pennines’, began in Skipton before winding through some of the finest (and highest) scenery in the country. Peaceful heather moors gave way to testing gradients and Cluny survived a stitch, cramp and three hours of rain as he grimly pedalled his way past the feed-stations. Having conquered the final big climb from Barden Tower to Barden Moor, he crossed the finishing line eight hours and 58 minutes after he started. ‘I had my moments,’ he recalls, ‘some of them quite long, of wondering why I was doing it.’ But we are very grateful that he did, and the money he raised will be put to excellent use. More

Let’s dance

Reading Blue Coat School recently held a lower school disco in aid of Musequality that raised a magnificent £1,169.84. Angus Trott, a year 7 pupil, gave a beautiful performance of ‘Out of Africa’ on his flugel horn to accompany film footage of Musequality’s Kampala projects. The cheque was handed over to Musequality supporter Jim Trott at a special school assembly.

The assembly was closed with a message directly from MLISADA and Bethlehem Orphanage recorded in Kampala. You can watch it here.

Journey’s end

In May, concert pianist Anthony Hewitt completed his marathon bike ride across Britain, giving numerous piano performances along the way. ‘The Olympianist’ cycled 1,200 miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats, and has so far raised over £13,000 (including gift aid) for Musequality and other music and children’s charities.

Partnership bears fruit

The Kampala Symphony Orchestra has recently performed two highly successful concerts in Kampala, conducted by Russell Keable, director of the Kensington Symphony Orchestra in the UK. Russell’s visit was organised as part of a partnership between the two orchestras known as KSO2.

Kampala Music School, the home of the KSO, was where Musequality began, when our founder David Juritz was inspired by a meeting with KMS director Simon Yiga. Musequality introduced the orchestras to each other and helped fund Russell’s trips to train and conduct the KSO. We are delighted to see this partnership bearing such productive fruit.

Beginners please

Last summer, newly retired volunteer David Tomlinson decided to realise a childhood ambition and raise money for Musequality at the same time by learning to play the clarinet. With the help of his teacher, Janet Eggledon, he passed his grade 2 exam in March and is now focused on his next major target – performing at a World Busk event this June. David aims to raise £1,000 for Musequality through sponsorship, and is already almost halfway there. Visit his fundraising page here.

Band aid

Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith, London, recently held a Band Night in aid of Musequality. Organised and performed by sixth formers, acts ranged from solo acoustic guitar to rock bands. An acapella band, The L*s, comprising five teachers, also made a guest appearance.

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. Email

Olympianist in training for his epic journey

Concert pianist Anthony Hewitt is training hard for his forthcoming Olympian journey, riding with Twickenham cycling club every week. Between 9 and 29 May, he will cycle 1,200 miles with piano ‘in tow’, giving recitals across Britain to raise funds for Musequality and other music and children’s charities.
Dates arranged so far include a clifftop performance in Portland, a recital in the Market Square at Newbury Spring Festival, and a concert on the shores of Lake Windermere.

Supporters will be able to watch part of each recital from Anthony’s viewpoint. Each day he will perform 1 of the 21 movements from Schumann’s Carnaval Op. 9 in chronological order and will be filmed with a Go Pro Sports Camera attached to Anthony’s head and uploaded to his website. This will be the first time that a professional musician will film himself in concert. If you would like to find out if he is playing in your area or make a donation, please Click here.

Happy birthday

A piece of music for solo violin, written by Julian Dawes especially for Musequality, was performed at the composer’s 70th birthday concert. The piece, entitled ‘Changing young people’s lives’, was played for the first time by David Juritz at the event, which was held at the Forge Arts Venue, London NW1, on 22 April 2012. The invited guests also enjoyed a range of music Julian has written for instruments, the theatre and television, and secular and religious vocal, performed by players committed to his music. Donations for Musequality were invited.

Music and silence

On 1 April 2012, David Juritz and Chiswick Baroque presented an hour and a quarter of musical meditation at St Saviour’s Church, Cobbold Road, London W12. A programme of contemplative music for solo violin, violin and voice and unaccompanied voices included works by Victoria, Bach, Morales, Tchaikovsky and Harper. The music arose out of and fell back into silence, providing a space for personal reflection. With Ros Keating, soprano, Shelley Smith, alto, Jean Paul Sinclair, tenor and Oliver Hinton, bass. Directed by Celia Harper. The event raised £460 for Musequality.

In concert

David Juritz and accordionist Milos Milivojevic played at a fundraising recital and supper on 5 March 2012 for 70 invited guests at the home of Elisabeth and Bob Boas in central London. Bob is a lifelong supporter of the arts and the guests included both longstanding supporters of Musequality and people new to our work. David and Milos played a spectacular programme of duos and solos, ranging from Bach and Mendelssohn to Victor Vlasov and Piazzolla, and the Musequality film was shown.

Workplace recital

BSI Group employees lunching in their staff restaurant were treated to a unique musical performance by David Juritz and accordionist Milos Milivojevic on 27 February 2012. The BSI Group, which is kindly hosting Musequality’s Chiswick office, had seen (and heard) nothing like it before. A number of BSI people lingered over their lunch to enjoy the music, and BSI Group chief executive Howard Kerr came to listen, before talking at length with the trustees about ways to strengthen the relationship with Musequality.

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.