Leeds Conservatoire is pleased to announce it has received a £116,000 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to create, secure and develop a sustainable, accessible musical archive.
The grant comes at a significant moment as Leeds Conservatoire (formerly Leeds College of Music) marks 60 years of pioneering music education and contributing to the musical landscape of Leeds and beyond. This funding will enable the conservatoire to continue playing a collaborative role in preserving its rich history while remaining firmly focused on the future.
Support from the Heritage Fund will help ensure that important stories are not lost. It will enable the conservatoire to formally establish an archive documenting its journey since 1965, and to work with key partners and communities across Leeds to uncover and celebrate musical memories from the city.
The conservatoire’s 60th anniversary provides the ideal backdrop to engage existing partners and build new relationships, uncovering important stories from underrepresented communities and exploring their contributions to the city’s musical culture. A range of activities will help bring music-making to new communities and age groups, including volunteer training, music workshops and the recording of oral histories.
Professor Joe Wilson, Principal of Leeds Conservatoire said:
“We are delighted to receive support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to secure and develop our archive. It will help to create some exciting outreach and engagement activities to share and surface important stories, and collaborate with the communities of Leeds.”
Helen Featherstone, Director, England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund said:
“As Leeds Conservatoire celebrates its 60th anniversary, we’re thrilled to be supporting them to develop their archive. Thanks to National Lottery players the conservatoire can preserve this fantastic heritage and ensure that it will be accessible to all.”
The National Lottery Heritage Fund: Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033.
Leeds Conservatoire is a specialist UK institution for music and performing arts, offering a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, as well as Leeds Junior Conservatoire for young musicians and performers. Located in the heart of Leeds’ cultural quarter, it is artistically ambitious, quality-led and industry-focused, with a strong emphasis on developing career-ready musicians, performers, producers and creative entrepreneurs.
Leeds Conservatoire will deliver a range of archive, music and story-led activities throughout the year. Further details will be available on its website at www.leedsconservatoire.ac.uk
