We have ambitious plans to develop Scherzo Ensemble into a highly respected bridge between graduating from full-time study and enjoying a sustainable career. We want to help those from who have taken alternative pathways into the arts, particularly from working class backgrounds. We want to develop our season to allow singers to organise their own projects, with our help, preparing them for an industry where, increasingly, an entrepreneurial approach is what is needed. We want to develop Longhope Opera into a festival with more operas and chamber music performances. Much like the musicians we support, we are at a crucial stage in our development. As the charity and workload grows, we need to recruit staff and need reliable sources of income to do so. There are many ways to support Scherzo Ensemble. One-off donors, partners and sponsors, and especially our Scherzo Patrons all play a vital role in our ability to expand our operation to support emerging artists.
Friends of the Ensemble
To become a Friends of the Ensemble membership is £20.00 a month. As a Friend of Scherzo Ensemble, you’ll enjoy a range of exclusive benefits, including: priority booking, friends’ events: receive invitations to exclusive rehearsals, talks, and social events and access to our newsletter Overture.
Patrons
To become a Patron of Scherzo Ensemble we ask for donations from £1000 a year. Once a patron you can enjoy free tickets to all our performances, programme recognition, access to our newsletter Overture and receive an invitation to an annual Patron's event.
Principal Patrons
To become a Principal Patron of Scherzo Ensemble we ask for donations from £5000 a year. Once a principal patron you will have all the benefits of being a patron as well as a vote on the opera: the unique opportunity to input into our repertoire for the upcoming season and personal performance: one exclusive opportunity for our ensemble to perform at your own event or function.
Corporate Sponsorship
Scherzo Ensemble is delighted to partner with businesses to sponsor our events and we are committed to ensuring that these relationships also offer value for our sponsors. We want to create tailored partnerships, enabling companies of all sizes to support parts of our work.
For further information on becoming a Friend of the Ensemble, Patron, Principal Patron or to discuss partnering with us, please contact us at: scherzoensemble@outlook.com
Our Supporters
We would like to express an enormous thank you those who are currently supporting us.
Trusts & Foundations
The Jerwood Foundation
The Linbury Trust
Thriplow Charitable Trust
Friends of Music in Winchester
Stansmore Trust
The Donizetti Society
Belgae Trust
Foyle Foundation
Fenton Arts Trust
Arts Council England
Patrons
Jose Alvarez
Christopher Andreae
Mark Armour
Eleanor Cranmer & Nicholas Thomas
Jan Matthews
Martin O'Byrne
Tim Jones
Richard & Caroline Welch
Roger & Geraldine Robinson
Principal Patrons
Sir Desmond & Lady Norma Pitcher
Peter & Pops Nutting
Christopher Andreae & Jane Flower
Hamish & Lindy Janson
“I have found working with the Scherzo Ensemble to be an absolutely wonderful experience from start to finish, for several reasons. Matthew O'Keefe is a brilliant conductor, who ran rehearsals extremely professionally and had such brilliant attention to musical detail and text. I was so glad of the rehearsal time with the orchestra, which allowed me to relax in the performance and perform to the best of my ability without worrying that something musical wouldn't quite match up. I was very impressed with the quality of the performances as a result. This opportunity was so valuable to me at this early stage in my career, especially as critics and potential agents come to these sorts of things, and I am now in touch with a whole new creative network of other musicians and dancers too. I am so thankful for the opportunity, and I would jump at the chance to work with such a fantastic professional company again.”
— Anna Gregg, Soprano - Gabriel, Haydn’s The Creation 2024
“I’ve worked for Longhope Opera as a principal artist twice now and I am extremely grateful this company exists. As an early career artist, Scherzo Ensemble plays a fundamental role in the growth of young singers and the stepping stones for artists as they navigate the music industry. It is a young company and I have a lot of respect for the team that make these productions happen. The more financial support and people power this company gets, the more possibility there will be for this company. At the moment they run on a very small team and even with that, they make so much happen and get so much done. Scherzo Ensemble has a lot of potential to make an impact in this very crucial turning point of people’s careers. It gives singers an opportunity to prepare and perform full roles in staged productions. It also offers singers a place to invite industry professionals to see them in action in a professional setting. On site, they look after singers with travel, meals and accommodation which is appreciated when we are working hard in the lead up to shows. I can’t reiterate how important it is that this company exists for artists and audiences alike.”
— Daniella Sicari - Norina, Donizetti’s Don Pasquale 2024
“I sang the role of Ernesto with Longhope Opera in summer 2024. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience for me, and it was a pleasure to work with the whole creative team. Longhope is providing an opportunity which is sadly in decline at present: the opportunity for young singers to work on full roles, in a full production, with orchestra and in the original language. Unlike other summer festivals which have Young Artist Programmes, Longhope gives singers the opportunity to actually perform operas in full rather than paired down versions. I believe that Longhope is a thoroughly viable and valuable organisation as it stands, and could expand to be a main player in the British summer festival scene with the unique draw of enabling young singers to have all the performance benefits of their more experienced colleagues.”
— Jack Dolan - Ernesto, Donizetti’s Don Pasquale 2024