La Folie Baroque Consort is an orchestra created by Luke Haydn in 2016, after years of study into early music on Harpsichord and Organ, studying with Chichester Cathedral suborganist Timothy Ravalde, and well established harpsichordist David Pollock.
The orchestra is mainly based in Chichester, but is pushing to perform further afield, including a tour to the Isle of Wight this August.
We have been performing music for almost a year now, and have been taking musicians from conservatoires and professional fields to deliver top quality live performances, focusing on giving young people and students the opportunity to perform in a historically informed environment, which would otherwise be difficult to achieve for many.
The money from this fundraiser is to go towards the running costs of the orchestra, whether it be hiring venues to perform in or rehearse in, hiring equipment, or paying musicians for their time. We pride ourselves on ensuring our musicians get a fair rate, encouraging good business practices from other musical bodies, making the musical world a better place.
Unfortunately, over the past year we have been managing to coast by on our reserves for the year, but now the reserves are running dry, just as our foot is coming through the door of the wider scene.
The orchestra is planning to begin going into schools, to teach young children about the joys of classical music, something which will soon be lost if the current trend of ditching music in schools continues. Of course, musicians have to travel to get to schools, and they need to be able to afford to, with the sky-rocketing train fares, it's hard to imagine a long journey for nothing.
We will be incredibly grateful for any support, and we will send you a personalised thank you for every donation, which, depending on how much you help us, may include access to future bonuses, such as free concert tickets, a free copy of our Premiere Album (Due winter 2018), or even a private performance.