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Performer Support Fund
During this time of closed venues and cancelled concerts, our generous community of donors and concertgoers have leapt to the call to help provide crucial financial support to the many independent local musicians with whom the Centre partners nearly every day of the year to bring our performance spaces to life with great music.
The Melbourne Recital Centre Performer Support Fund was established upon announcing the Centre’s closure, with the initial aim of helping us to make payments to the 38 local ensembles and independent musicians whose co-presentation concerts here at the Centre had to be cancelled through to 30 June. With an original target of $50,000, the fund was given a huge boost on its first day by an extraordinary lead gift of $20,000 from one generous patron. Since then, over 200 people have made contributions to the fund – many donating the value of their ticket refunds back to the Centre – and we have already exceeded our initial target!
We have been particularly hearted by the enthusiasm of our community towards our fundraising efforts. Last week, friends at the Melbourne Welsh Male Choir got together online to sing and encourage their community to give to our Performer Support Fund. Watch their YouTube video.
In response to this overwhelming generosity from audiences and patrons, we have decided to stretch this target to $75,000 by June 30, with further donations to be directed towards supporting more artists in our community, and to creating employment opportunities for artists by enabling us to take some the Centre’s programs online.
We sincerely thank all those who have made contributions to the Performers Support Fund. After the current crisis has passed, music will play a role in again bringing people together for inspiration, reflection, healing and renewing social connections. We feel that it is vital for Victoria’s musicians to be sustained so that they can be a part of this healing. Thank you for helping to ensure that they will be. If you would like to make a donation to support the Performer Support Fund, please visit our website here, or call Alistaire Bowler, Interim Head of Development on (03) 9207 2653.