The chamber orchestra London Mozart Players is facing a real and serious threat of closure and this week issued something of an emergency plea for money to keep going.
LMP actually lost its core arts council funding in 2008 and failed to win it back this year. It has managed to keep going for the last three years but things are looking bleak, it says, unless a relatively small amount of money can be raised.
Simon Funnell, LMP's managing director, said this:
"This campaign is urgent and vital – if we don't succeed it is highly likely that the board will have to take the decision to close the orchestra later this year so the stakes are very high indeed. The LMP is one of the finest chamber orchestras in the country and it is crucial that we protect this part of our heritage.
"Many arts organisations face challenging times in the coming years; thanks to the deep impact of the recession, government cuts to the Arts Council, low interest rates and a gloomy outlook on the economy, the orchestra is facing a squeeze on every side: there are more organisations chasing smaller and smaller pots of money.
"Every time we lose a cultural institution like the LMP, we lose something of our humanity and we cannot allow this to happen. The sums of money the LMP need to survive are relatively small but vital if the orchestra is to survive. The government is calling on philanthropists and companies to do more to support the arts, and now the LMP is asking directly for that support."
LMP, founded in 1949 as the UK's first chamber orchestra, performs at Fairfield Halls in Croydon and hopes to hear from Croydon council next week about future local authority funding.
