Gunnersbury
Leighton House Museum
The Leighton House Museum is an art museum in the Holland Park area of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in West London.
The Connaught Opera concert for older people and care homes in the Royal Borough was in honour of Brian O’Connor.
This video was a collaborative work by the creative team Scarlett Clark, Helen Jones and Candice Wilson.
Gunnersbury Museum 2022
Arnold Clark Community Fund sponsored this concert for residents from a nearby Care Home.
Shuttleworth House 2022
It was a joy to be hosted by Shuttleworth House in Biggleswade (a hidden Gem)! for this concert of guests from several branches of Tibbs Dementia and supported by the Wixamtree Trust.
Knebworth 2022
We were delighted to be performing Live again for residents from Quantum Care Homes at Knebworth House, the magnificent ‘fairytale’ home of our hosts Lord and Lady Cobbold.
In the past, we have been privileged to be hosted by some of the most magnificent stately homes in England as well the Historic Royal Palaces. These were open to the local older population to enjoy as a special day out at no cost to themselves. Since the pandemic began in March 2020 it was not possible for audiences to attend these concerts. Fortunately, our funders kindly allowed us to ‘divert’ funds already awarded, towards a programme of online concerts delivered via Zoom. For some we prepared films of our work, sending them to care homes, day centres and individual elders residing in the sponsors’ areas of benefit. Some of these films were made in heritage sites when the venues were able to permit us access.
Initially zoomed and distributed to the older people who were able to take advantage of this facility, enabling them to chat live afterwards with the artists.
The kind hosts included Knebworth House, English Heritage Wrest Park, The Octagon, Orleans Gallery, Twickenham and the Claremont Project in Islington, while some were filmed at Connaught headquarters (Maria’s home in London).
Fortunately, with the pandemic easing we are back on the road. We performed a concert to honour the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee at Knebworth House, just before she sadly died and we will be performing at The Rothschild Room, Gunnersbury Park and Museum, The Orleans Gallery and Shuttleworth House, later this year. In addition, of course, to all the Care Homes and Day centres in which we regularly perform.
Our recent sponsors have been City Bridge Trust, Arnold Clark Community Fund, Royal Greenwich Community Innovation Funds, The Brook Trust fund (Kent Community Foundation),Quantum Care; The Wixamtree Trust; Cripplegate Foundation(Islington Council’s Community Chest); Richmond Parish Lands Charity, Hampton Fund, Battersea Power Station Foundation, Hounslow Council, Concertina, Clarion Futures Community and Residential Management Group in Westminster.