Oxford Lieder - (Oxford International Song Festival’s Young Artist Programme in 2024)

The Radcliffe Trust awarded Oxford Lieder a grant to support their an annual 12-month, world-class professional development programme for up to 8 early-career pianist/singer duos, combining professional mentoring with performance, curatorial and pedagogic opportunities that showcases and nurtures the UK’s finest young and emerging artists.

The Young Artists are all now benefiting from a suite of professional development opportunities which will run until October 2025, aiming to take their careers to the next level. The Radcliffe Trust Grant specifically went towards:-

1) Performances by The Young Artists at the Oxford International Festival 2024
Oxford Lieders’ 23rd Festival programme ran from 11-26 October and was one of their most ambitious and successful to date, attracting an audience attendance of c.9,700 from across the UK and internationally. As part of the Festival programme, each duo was invited to give a 15-minute performance to begin headline evening recitals throughout the first week – their “Emerging Artist” recitals – enabling them to gain public and critical profile. Ahead of their performances at this year’s Oxford International Song Festival, all the Young Artists got together in September for an informal programming workshop and masterclass with Artistic Director Sholto Kynoch.

2) The Young Artists’ participation in the Oxford Lieder Mastercourse
Each duo also received a fully-funded place on our residential Mastercourse which ran through the Festival’s second week, providing our duos with a series of masterclasses led by pianist Anne le Bozec and guest tutors Christian Immler, Stéphane Degout and Joan Rodgers, as well as attending Festival events. The week culminated in the Young Artists all performing at a showcase concert on 26 October in the Holywell Music Room, Oxford, which attracted an appreciative public audience.

Oxford Lieder Say:-

As a major funder of the programme, The Radcliffe Trust’s grant has made a significant difference to the Programme’s success and delivery, and the sixteen artists who have participated.

Oxford International Song Festival relies on the support of individuals, companies and trusts such as The Radcliffe Trust – without it, we would be forced to scale down the ambition and length of our Young Artist Programme. It remains vital that young artists receive high-profile concert platform engagements and experience, so by supporting their performances and our Mastercourse at this year’s main festival, The Radcliffe Trust’s grant has had a significant impact on those participating.

Our Young Artist Programme is also unique in its focus on classical song (as distinct from opera) which generally becomes marginalised in many early careers because the opera world provides far more professional opportunities for young singers (even though song recitals are a medium that many singers find artistically and personally enriching). In the long run, this means that audiences are less well-served by excellent classical song recitals. In this context, our Young Artist Programme is therefore extremely important, and your support is therefore having a positive impact on both the performance of song and the arts sector as a whole.

Cathedral Church of St. Peter in Exeter

Exeter Cathedral was founded in 1050, and is a magnificent building, steeped in history. The present cathedral was built between 1114 and 1258 and is one of the best and most complete surviving examples of the English Decorative style of architecture left. A place of spirituality, learning and outreach, it is seen as an essential community hub, as well as offering amazing opportunities for talented young people in heritage craft skills. There is a team of six heritage stone masons. All benefit from gaining ongoing experience, training and learning opportunities whenever possible.

Thanks to a grant from the Radcliffe Trust, Exeter Cathedral was able to arrange for members of the stonemasonry team to undertake a four day Portrait Clay Modelling class delivered by leading artist and sculptor Andrian Melka. The first three days the masons were tasked with producing a clay portrait of cathedral Archaeologist John Allen. The last day the team were taught the methodology of producing plaster casts of the clay models.

The masons have delivered carved detail on projects previously. This course really helped the masons to learn replica and figurative carving of the human face and features for future works. A complete change to the more usual grotesques and foliage.

The Cathedral is very grateful for the Radcliffe Trust as the grant represents an investment in the individual masons expanding their skills and knowledge as they work for the benefit, care and maintenance of Exeter Cathedral’s medieval stonework in the near future.

Orchard Barn Environmental Education Centre

Orchard Barn is a volunteer-run centre for environmental education in rural mid Suffolk providing practical training in traditional timber framing and construction techniques.

Students are taken into the woods to learn to source / hand convert trees into timber and dig clay. Over 5,000 trainees/volunteers have benefitted over the years with hands-on learning on practical projects that keep the East Anglian tradition of building with earth and trees alive (now with increased relevance to challenge of combatting climate change).  The volunteer working parties typically last from 9am-3pm.

The Radcliffe Trust has been delighted to support Orchard Barn several times over the years including supporting their volunteer activities including making repairs to the timber frame of a Suffolk Long House using local trees and converting them into a greenwood shingle roof, making and fitting lathe for ceilings and walls and using hot lime plaster.

The latest Radcliffe Trust grant enabled Orchard Barn to pay a local craftsperson to provide training and subsequently supervise volunteers in traditional greenwood working.

The photograph shows a typical working party having a well-earned break in the sunshine.

Veterans' Growth

Veterans’ Growth is a charity based on five acres of peaceful farmland in East Sussex. It supports veterans struggling with mental health challenges. Their programme combines rehabilitation with skill-building activities such as horticulture and woodworking. One of their most successful initiatives is the “Small Acorns” woodworking project, partly funded by The Radcliffe Trust.

Veterans’ Growth’s experienced in-house green woodworker gives workshops on the disappearing art of traditional rake-making, using traditional tools and materials. This is a heritage craft listed on the Endangered Crafts Register.

The Radcliffe Trust’s grant enabled participants to work with locally harvested green wood to create a variety of items, including rakes, fencing, benches, and decorations. These products were sold at community fundraising events, raising over £3,000 for Veterans’ Growth and supporting the project’s self-sustainability. The woodworking activities proved to be highly inclusive, particularly for veterans with limited mobility, as they could craft items using soft green wood and hand tools. Furthermore, the project was active year-round, offering a viable alternative during winter months when other site activities were limited by weather.

The rake-making project delivered profound impacts for veterans and also the broader community. By engaging in the endangered craft of rake-making, veterans developed practical skills, gained a sense of purpose, and experienced therapeutic benefits. The hands-on nature of woodworking helped reduce anxiety, improve focus, and foster mental well-being. This structured activity boosted confidence and supported veterans reintegration into civilian life, offering opportunities to build new hobbies, careers, or volunteer roles. This activity was so successful it will be continued.