Funding announced to support musicians purchase new instruments

Thanks to capital funding from the Department of Communities, the programme is designed to increase the quality of music making in Northern Ireland by helping musicians replace old worn-out instruments and purchase new ones.

A total of 43 funding awards have been made across three categories: professional individual musicians, bands, and professional and non-professional performing groups.

Gilly Campbell, joint Director of Arts Development at the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, commented: 

“With much appreciated capital investment from the Department of Communities, the Arts Council is delighted to announce this funding today through the Musical Instruments Programme. This important scheme will help support solo musicians, bands and musical groups buy or replace the instruments they need to fulfil their performance potential.

“Northern Ireland has a fine history of musicianship, one which is celebrated all over the world. Today’s funding announcement will go a long way in supporting that legacy, benefitting many performers across a broad range of genres including classical, jazz, traditional, contemporary and electronic music.”

The Bands strand of the programme was created to support bands based in Northern Ireland, which are formally constituted, including accordion, brass, flute, pipe, wind and concert bands. Comber Brass Band was one of 23 bands awarded funding. For more than 120 years the band has played a vibrant role in the local community, performing at competitions and events across Ards and North Down. In September 2022 the Youth Band was formed, helping to secure brass banding for future generations. Their grant of £10,000 will support the purchase two new bass and baritone instruments.

The Professional and Non-Professional Performing Groups category was open to choirs and orchestras, community music groups, musical societies, primary and post primary schools and youth groups. Six awards were made through this strand. Among those awarded funding was The Belfast Ensemble, an award-winning, Belfast-based collective which creates world-class opera and theatre productions. Their award of £16,178 will enable them to purchase a Yamaha Keyboard Glockenspiel. This is an opportunity to procure a very rare instrument, not readily available to hire anywhere in Northern Ireland.

The Individual Professional Artists strand of the programme was designed to provide funding for highly-skilled, exceptional, high-profile professional musicians, to purchase quality instruments that are central to their performing career. Songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and comedienne Ursula Burns was awarded £7,500 to purchase a Dusty Strings Harp. This rare harp is well suited to Ursula style which fuses Celtic and Paraguayan techniques, with good tone and well suited for travel and performance.

Full details of the 43 awards made through the Musical Instruments Scheme can be found at https://artscouncil-ni.org/resources/musical-instruments-awards