Creative Scotland, a public body which distributes funding from the Scottish Government and the National Lottery, has decided to remove the Dunedin Consort from its list of Regulalry Funded Organisations for 2018-2021. According to the Dunedin Consort, this represents a loss of about 20% of the total revenue and will have many consequences for them in the future. Outreach activities are under threat, as are creative projects in Scotland itself.
Is this a reasonable or just decision? It is hard to know, without a detailed examination of the funding criteria and the particular factors which apply in this case. But it is certainly tempting to say that it is unjust. The Dunedin Consort is unquestionably one of the world's premier baroque ensembles. It is certainly Scotland's premier baroque ensemble. They are known all over the world and their recordings regularly win major international awards. With the impact they have had on the arts since their creation, it is hard to believe they aren't worthy recipients of public funding.
It makes me sad, anyway. I have quite a few of their recordings and particularly cherish their Messiah and St Matthew Passion. It would be a pity if they had to shrink their operations or limit their presence in Scotland as a result of this decision.
I share your view on the Dunedin. Obviously this news is not unique nowadays. How much funding and who to fund, as political decisions, will never satisfy everybody. If Government must fund a particular amount to this ensemble, one may ask how much other ensembles should deserve. In times of diminishing external support, if an organization cannot sustain itself, then perhaps it is inevitable time for the customer to prepare for the path to demise. I trust that Dunedin can continue to flourish.
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Yes - of course. It just strikes me as as a strange decision in view of the excellence of the ensemble..........But these are complex issues and they form part of a wider debate on arts funding in general......
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There was good news during the week. The funding has been restored: https://www.dunedin-consort.org.uk/news/creative-scotland-restores-regul...
Yes - that's great news. As I said, the original decision did seem a little suspect in view of their excellence.......