{{Short description|English music festival}} {{Multiple issues| {{more citations needed|date=January 2010}} {{Update|date=August 2025}} }} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}} {{Use British English|date=July 2019}} {{Infobox recurring event | name = | logo = <!--200px--> | image = <!--Example.jpg--> | imagesize = <!--200px--> | caption = | begins = | ends = | frequency = once annually | location = Spitalfields | years_active = <!--Date of the first occurrence--> | first = 1976 | participants = | attendance = | organised = | website = {{URL|https://spitalfieldsmusic.org.uk/|spitalfieldsmusic.org.uk}} | footnotes = }} '''Spitalfields Music''' (previously known as '''Spitalfields Festival''', officially registered as '''Spitalfields Festival Limited''') is a music charity based in the Bethnal Green area of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Through musical events, the charity aims to strengthen the local community.<ref name=CC>{{cite web|url=https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1052043|title=1052043 – Spitalfields Festival Limited|website=register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk|access-date=21 August 2025|date=31 March 2024}}</ref> Spitalfields Festival is a registered charity with number 1052043.<ref name=CC />
The charity's work mainly consists of producing music festivals and a community programme.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Spitalfields Festival|url=https://music.britishcouncil.org/resources/education-organisations/festivals/spitalfields-festival|date=2014-07-09|website=British Council Music|access-date=2020-05-02}}{{dead link|date=August 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Spitalfields Music Festival announces 2020 programme|url=https://www.rhinegold.co.uk/classical_music/spitalfields-music-festival-announces-2020-programme/|website=Rhinegold|language=en|access-date=2020-05-02}}</ref> Several new works are commissioned each year for the festival.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Ashley|first=Tim|date=2018-12-05|title=Unknown, Remembered... review – a baffling and curiously disengaged installation|newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/dec/05/unknown-remembered-review-spitalfields-festival|access-date=2020-05-02}}</ref>
==History== In 1976, Spitalfields Festival was created when an event, organised by Save Britain's Heritage, was held at Christ Church in Spitalfields in the summer.<ref>{{cite book |title=A book of British music festivals |last=Adams |first=Richard |page=144 |year=1986 |publisher=R. Royce |isbn=978-0-947728-22-9 }}</ref>
In the Summer of 1977, the first official festival occurred. It was run by Friends of Christ Church, which had been formed the previous year after the single event had been held.
The Festival Council and the Learning and Participation Programme were formed in 1989.
A winter festival was expanded to starting 1996.
In 2003, Christ Church was being renovated, so the festival was spread into 13 other venues.<ref>{{cite news |author1-link=Annette Morreau |last=Morreau |first=Annette |date=26 June 2003 |title=Vanbrugh Quartet / Britten Sinfonia, Spitalfields Festival, London |newspaper=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/vanbrugh-quartet--britten-sinfonia-spitalfields-festival-london-745438.html |url-status=dead |access-date=13 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110318221725/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/vanbrugh-quartet--britten-sinfonia-spitalfields-festival-london-745438.html |archive-date=18 March 2011}}</ref>
Spitalfeilds Music won Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards in both 2005 and 2006<ref>{{cite web |title=Current RPS Music Awards Winner|url=http://www.rpsmusicawards.com/l?page=2006/winners/categories/education.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071021061359/http://www.rpsmusicawards.com/l?page=2006/winners/categories/education.html |archive-date=21 October 2007 |access-date=13 January 2022 |website=rpsmusicawards.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=2006 RPS Music Awards Winner|url=http://www.rpsmusicawards.com/2007/winners/categories/index.html?page=2007/winners/categories/concertseries.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724234148/http://www.rpsmusicawards.com/2007/winners/categories/index.html?page=2007/winners/categories/concertseries.html |archive-date=24 July 2011 |access-date=13 January 2022 |website=rpsmusicawards.com}}</ref>
In 2020, the festival was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Spitalfields Music Announces Postponement of Festival|url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwmusic/article/Spitalfields-Music-Announces-Postponement-of-Festival-20200414|work=BroadwayWorld|access-date=2020-05-02}}</ref>
==Learning and Participation Programme== Since the founding of the education programme in 1989, the work that Spitalfields Music does with the community of Tower Hamlets has grown considerably. It was an early pioneer in the field of arts festival education programmes in the UK. Spitalfields Music delivers a busy programme throughout the year, working in schools, special needs settings, care homes and community spaces{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}}.
Alongside its Learning and Participation Programme, Spitalfields Music also runs a number of schemes to develop artists and music leaders of the future, including Trainee Music Leaders Scheme and Open Call.
===Trainee Music Leaders Scheme=== This is a year-long training programme for emerging music leaders to develop their skills as creative music leaders in learning and community settings, working with national partners including: Welsh National Opera, LSO Discovery, Opera North, Orchestras Live, Multi Story Orchestra and Southbank Sinfonia{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}}.
===Open Call=== Open Call is an open commissioning project that nurtures artists from diverse backgrounds to develop their compositional practice, developing early stage pieces to a work-in-progress stage, and testing new ways to connect their work to audiences.{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}}
==Funding== Spitalfields Music is a charity and relies on grants, sponsorships, in kind help and donations to help run its festivals and the Learning and Participation Programme.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.spitalfieldsmusic.org.uk/|title=Spitalfields Music|website=Spitalfields Music}}</ref> They receive financial support from trusts, foundations, corporate giving, public funding and individual giving. They also earn a small percentage of their income from ticket sales from their festivals.
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== * {{official|https://spitalfieldsmusic.org.uk/}}
Category:Music festivals established in 1976 Category:Music festivals in London Category:Classical music festivals in England Category:Charities based in London Category:1976 establishments in England Category:Organisations based in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Category:Spitalfields