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Dear Supporters, Audience members and friends,

As we move into another national lockdown, one thing remains certain in our minds: the importance of music and its power to uplift us, even during such a period of uncertainty. 

As of today, 5 November 2020, we are closed to the public, including our Box Office and Cafe Bar. We had hoped to welcome many of you to socially distanced autumn concerts this November, but of course, these events can no longer go ahead as planned. However, we are determined to keep bringing you beautiful music to brighten these darker autumn days. The shows will go on!

We have been working closely - and quickly! - with many of our wonderful artists who were due to perform here in person. Instead, we will be bringing you a series of livestreamed or pre-recorded live concerts, from our auditorium, which you can book e-tickets for and view in the comfort of your own home. We very much hope you will join us online!

Our first online concert is with Exultate Singers this Sunday, 8 November, with a programme titled ''Songs of Hope'', filled with beautiful, reflective and uplifting Remembrance music. Below, we have listings for several other online concerts; tickets are bookable via our website as normal, and bookers will then be contacted with details of how to access the concert streaming. Keep an eye on our website, newsletter and social media (follow us @stgeorgesbris across all channels) for more announcements!

Thank you, once again, for your continued support of St George''s. We hope you are keeping safe and well and look forward to welcoming you back as soon as it is safe to do so.

With best wishes

The St George''s Bristol Team

Songs Of Hope

In this Remembrance Sunday concert, Exultate Singers performs beautiful choral music on the themes of hope and light, in the wonderfully resonant acoustic of our auditorium. This is a chance to experience many gems of the choral repertoire - from the comfort of your own home! 

The programme includes ethereal anthems by Harris, Parry and Stanford, and more contemporary reflections on loss by Philip Moore and James Whitbourn. We also remember those whose anniversaries were commemorated this year, including Anne Frank and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The sequence of uplifting and deeply poignant music is woven together with inspiring poems by Derek Mahon, Carol Ann Duffy, and Philip Larkin.

Join us online! These fantastic events will all be available to enjoy online, from home.  Book your ticket/s via our website as normal, and you will then be contacted with details of how to access the concert streaming. 

Welcome back to St George''s Bristol!

Below are just a few of the many exceedingly good reasons for you to book concert tickets with us in the coming months. Classical, folk, contemporary and more are returning to our auditorium and new spaces - wonderful artists and wonderful music to enjoy live this autumn.

Of course, all these are safe and socially distanced events. Our auditorium has a maximum capacity of 150 people at any one time. All audience members must wear face coverings, and we have careful procedures in place to make sure that social distancing is maintained, including when arriving and leaving the concert. We meet the rules for the ''See It Safely'' national accreditation, which we hope will provide further reassurance. 

Our bar is open for table service for almost all of our events, and we encourage you to pre-book a Hospitality Package of delicious pre-concert drinks and nibbles when booking your tickets. We automatically reserve bar tables for people who have booked a Hospitality Package.

We can''t wait to welcome you back, and for now would like to share a note pianist Eric Lu kindly left for us to find backstage after his recital last week - ''Grateful to be back! A most inspiring space and audience.''

Dear Supporters and audience members,

St George''s Bristol is pleased and deeply relieved to share the news that it has received ?564,916 from the government''s Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) to help face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.

This is lifeline for St George''s. We are now able to set to work on delivering more events and performances in an appropriate, Covid-secure manner. We are so grateful to our audiences, supporters and artists who have shown great solidarity with St George''s over the last six months and we very much look forward to welcoming more of you back in the coming months.

Alongside creating and delivering this programme, we will be thinking hard about how we can best support networks of artists, musicians and freelance creatives, while we also adapt our business plans and operations to ensure we are in the strongest possible position to face the challenges ahead.

Suzanne Rolt, CEO of St George''s Bristol, said:

Today, we are able to breathe a huge sigh of relief. This funding will safeguard St George''s in the short term, after the devastating impact that COVID-19 has had on our organisation, along with the wider cultural sector. We know how vital culture is to the health of our society, and we are looking forward to the role St George''s will play in the recovery of our communities.

Ben Heald, Chair of the Trustees of St George''s Bristol, said:

We welcome this support and sincerely thank the teams at Arts Council England, the DCMS and central government, for their committment and recognition to the vital role culture plays in our lives. We will use this opportunity to refocus and accelerate St George''s cultural and educational post-Covid ambitions.

Dear Supporters and Audiences,

We're happy, and hugely relieved, to share with you the news that we have secured an Emergency Response grant from Arts Council England for ?111,416.  Given that funding had to be stretched across arts organisations the whole country over, we did not secure the full amount we sought, but it is enough to carry us through to September.  We are by no means out of the woods yet, but we have found a clearing where we can collect our thoughts, assemble plans and set out the next steps that will hopefully lead to a recommencement of music making at St George's. 

On this final point, and very much hot off the press, we've heard in the past hour that Oliver Dowden, Culture Secretary, has announced that socially distanced concerts will be able to recommence from 1^st August.  We need to dig down into the details, but we'll now be working quickly to adapt our plans.  What we do know is that we will need to operate with reduced seating capacity in the main hall, so will be able to offer some 150 to 175 seats for each concert. It's far from ideal but it''s a start...

We do not have a large staff team and every member is hugely valued and an essential contributor to our work.  The furlough scheme will end in October, coinciding with a time of huge financial pressure for St George's; even with today's announcement, if we cannot identify ways to improve the wafer-thin profit margins of reduced capacity events or secure significant funding before then, we will face very difficult decisions. We're a relatively young organisation in comparison to many, set up in 1986 as a charitable trust.  Many supporters have, I know, been with us from the start.  We will need everyone to pull together with us if we're not to lose so much of what we've accomplished over these years. So, when the moment comes, please get ready to pull!

Until then, we are grateful for the Arts Council support, and to be able to apply for further support from the ?1.57 billion arts and culture rescue package over the coming months.  We have never abandoned our artistic ambitions and believe that now, more than ever, we need to use music and the arts as a way of raising morale, helping people during isolation and feeding their souls.  We are in daily touch with many of the wonderful musicians who work in and around Bristol and we're generating creative ideas for new events inside the building this autumn. We are also exploring the possibility of holding some outdoor concerts over the summer, so watch this space. Until then, if you scroll below, you will discover ways to keep in touch and continue to enjoy the music.

With good wishes from the St George's team,

Suzanne Rolt, CEO   

Looking for that perfect gift?

Would the musician in your life like a once in a lifetime chance to play our beautiful Steinway in the hall? Perhaps you are looking for a large indoor or stunning garden rehearsal space for a socially distanced recording or rehearsal? We are doing specially reduced rates for our local audiences so you can get a venue hire gift voucher for a loved one now by emailing events@stgeorgesbristol.co.uk

Dear Supporters, Audience members and friends,

As lockdown ends and we enter into Tier 3, we are extremely disappointed that we can''t welcome you back to St George''s as soon as we hoped to. However, there are still ways to keep in touch with us. Experience our wonderful online events, and explore our great Christmas gift options - whether you are giving the gift of music to your loved ones, or giving back to St George''s too, this festive season. 

Meanwhile keep an eye out for our ''Jingle Bell Rock'' Christmas lights this Advent, with Bristol BID''s #BristolTogether campaign. And read on to find out how you can vote for St George''s for the RIBA South West''s ''Best on Show'' awards!

Thank you, once again, for your continued support of St George''s. We hope you are keeping safe and well and we look forward to welcoming you back as soon as it is safe to do so.

With warm wishes,

The St George''s Bristol Team