Reflections post Her Ensemble gig and ACE funding update.

As seems to so often be the case as a musician in this country, I find any hopeful/fulfilling/progressive concert experience to be bittersweet, and this weekend was no exception. I’ve been so lucky to be a part of the Her Ensemble journey so far, sharing lost tales of incredible women who shaped our history and created space for us today, alongside celebrating amazing contemporary artists whose voices deserve to be heard. I’ve watched audiences fall in love with music from the 1100s, 1800s and the 2020s all in one sitting: cheering, crying and swaying along in a space that welcomes their raw reaction and invites them into a world that should have always been theirs.

But the backdrop to our gig on Saturday was the latest Arts Council England funding update, and the devastating news that so many dedicated, innovative and frankly spectacular groups of musicians/artists/creators have lost all their support, not knowing what the next step may be.

I’m so bored of justifying the arts. I’m so bored of feeling like I need to convince our society that it’s worth something when it’s so abundantly clear that ALL it does it bring GOOD. Whichever way you look at it, all it does is give. It provides so many jobs, brings *so* much money into our economy and most importantly it spreads love, connection and joy with each and every one of us. It creates space for you to express, reflect, explore, find meaning.. it enriches, marks and even creates the most important moments in your life. Since the dawn of civilisation all peoples have made art. There is no humanity without it. It’s who we are.

And so why do we continually sacrifice it?

“It’s not a priority”, “we must get the deficit down”, “studying arts won’t make you successful” (naturally, they mean rich). But we all know that’s bullshit. Like everything else they *choose* to cut resources for, we know we’ll just spend more in the long run when we remember how unbelievably important it is, only then we’ll have spent years squandering under the weight of immense financial insecurity and an overwhelming feeling of worthlessness.

If we have the energy to keep going (and I honestly don’t know if I do most of the time), how about we make the case for it *now*? Can we buy tickets to live events this Christmas, pay to download a single, turn up to that free exhibition, go to your local theatre? If you’re employing musicians can you be honest about the distribution of the resources, and not squeeze the struggling, overworked freelancers instead of those at the top? Can you take your kids or students to a gallery or concert or workshop, let them connect with people/history/psychology/politics and all the things that will ignite their sense of curiosity and belonging in the world?

There’s so much misery and anxiety around us at the moment and it can be so hard to know how to create change or just feel better. But I think starting with the arts, with something that has a purely positive impact, is a great idea. Whether that’s taking the time to listen to music or read a book for yourself, supporting professionals and going to see a live event or sharing music, poetry or theatre with young people - it can only lead somewhere at least a bit more beautiful and hopeful.

That’s where I long to be.