The Genesis Foundation and Jewish Book Week (JBW) announce a new programme to champion and support emerging writers in the UK, which is open to applications with immediate effect.

The Genesis Jewish Book Week Emerging Writers’ Programme will offer bursaries and mentorship to ten emerging writers over 18 years of age, of any background, writing fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

The ten selected writers will be offered mentoring from a group of established writers, who have participated in the JBW Programme previously, including Tracy Chevalier, Sam Leith and George Szirtes.

The ten writers will also be offered peer support sessions, opportunities to speak at future JBW events and bursaries of up to £1,500 to complete research and writing. Applications are now open and for the inaugural year writers will be asked to work on projects with the theme of “Beginnings.” The bursaries will be distributed from July and an event will be held at JBW’s 70^th anniversary festival in March 2022.

Claudia Rubenstein, Director, Jewish Book Week, said:

“As Jewish Book Week enters its 70th year, we are delighted to be working with the Genesis Foundation in offering mentorship and support to emerging writers. Our annual festival celebrates the wealth and diversity of writing talent within the Jewish community, and this new programme seeks to draw on the expertise of our festival speakers to foster and develop the careers of new writers from all backgrounds. We are tremendously excited to discover the poets, authors and journalists who will form the Genesis Emerging Writers cohort of 2021.”

John Studzinski CBE, Founder and Chairman of the Genesis Foundation, said:

“We are thrilled to partner with Jewish Book Week on this special project in our 20th anniversary year. It goes to the heart of what we have been doing for two decades: supporting and nurturing creative and emerging talent. Jewish Book Week provides a powerful intellectual framework for the programme. As a devout Christian, I am delighted to be working within the parameters of the Abrahamic faiths to promote culture and creativity. It highlights one of the UK’s great strengths – literature and the spoken word – which we must keep encouraging and developing.”

Apply for the Genesis Jewish Book Week Emerging Writers’ Programme

The Cathedral Music Trust announces a new partnership with the Genesis Foundation to nurture the next generation of choral singers and composers.  The partnership will also ensure people from all backgrounds can have the opportunity to experience and benefit from access to world-class choral and organ music.

Through generous funding from the Genesis Foundation, the Cathedral Music Trust has created a new role of Communications and Marketing Officer within its Development Team, thereby extending its effectiveness and reach. In particular, this will enable the Trust to streamline its messaging across a broad range of platforms and media, while promoting its work to wider audiences and encouraging new supporters.

Sophie Carp has been appointed to this new position, joining the organisation from the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, where she was part of the development team that successfully raised £25 million towards the Museum’s endowment. She is passionate about the arts and music, and the role it can play in driving social change.

Sophie Carp, Communications and Marketing Officer at the Cathedral Music Trust, said:

“I am so grateful for the Genesis Foundation’s support of my role and of Cathedral Music Trust’s vision as a whole. I look forward to working closely with the Foundation and am very excited by the prospect of playing my part in making Cathedral music accessible to the widest and most diverse audiences possible.”

John Studzinski CBE, Founder and Chairman of the Genesis Foundation, said:

“In her new role at the Cathedral Music Trust Sophie will be sustaining and developing an important and valuable part of this country’s cultural heritage. She will also be furthering the Genesis Foundation’s mission of nurturing a diversity of creative and performing artists, always united by excellence. “Harry Christophers, now President of the Cathedral Music Trust, has been a trusted partner of the Genesis Foundation for 15 years. In the context of that relationship he and The Sixteen have brought more than 20 new Genesis choral commissions to life, and Harry has trained and mentored hundreds of young ensemble singers. The Foundation is delighted to support him and the entire Cathedral Music Trust as we all look forward to a great musical future.”

Find out more about Cathedral Music Trust

Barbara Broccoli and Grayson Perry announced as special advisers to initiative that includes over 30 leading figures from the arts 

£1 million Genesis Kickstart Fund will create future-facing projects for outstanding freelance talent  in the creative sector across the UK 

The Genesis Foundation today reveals the names of the 30 or so leading figures from the arts who are supporting its Kickstart Fund by becoming Advisory Council members.  

The £1mn Kickstart Fund, announced last month, has been launched by John Studzinski, Founder and Chairman of the Genesis Foundation, to support freelancers in the creative sector and specifically to help them survive and thrive in an environment transformed by Covid-19.    

The challenges posed by the pandemic have forced the cultural sector to explore new ways of working, for instance by exploiting technology to find new ways of engaging with audiences. 

The Fund will be rolled out in 2021, the year that marks the 20th anniversary of the Genesis Foundation. It will generate structured work opportunities for a diversity of freelance creative professionals, who, as they participate in future-facing projects, will earn an income and continue to build their careers and professional networks. The first projects are expected to go live mid-2021. Donations to the Genesis Kickstart Fund can be made here. 

The members of Advisory Council, chaired by John Studzinski, will contribute in a variety of ways. Some will scout high-quality, inclusive, and innovative artistic projects to involve freelance creative professionals across the UK, while others will select the most promising and relevant projects to receive grants of £10,000 and up. Certain members of the council will also mentor the freelance creatives who have received project grants.  

Members, assigned to disciplinary sub-committees, are as follows:  

Music

Harry Christophers CBE – Founder and Conductor, The Sixteen

Polly Graham – Artistic Director, Longborough Festival Opera; Genesis Opera Director

Tanya Joseph – Board Member, London Philharmonic Orchestra

Sir James MacMillan CBE – Composer

Kathryn McDowell CBE – Managing Director, London Symphony Orchestra

Jamie Njoku-Goodwin – Chief Executive, UK Music

Marie-Sophie Willis – Chief Executive, The Sixteen

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Theatre & Film

Samuel Barnett – Actor, Genesis LAMDA Scholar

Barbara Broccoli OBE – Producer, EON Productions – SPECIAL ADVISER

Benedict Cumberbatch CBE – Actor, LAMDA President

Rupert Goold CBE – Artistic Director, Almeida Theatre

Kwame Kwei-Armah OBE – Artistic Director, Young Vic Theatre

David Lan CBE – Writer, Theatre Producer

Rufus Norris – Artistic Director, National Theatre

Abubakar Salim – Actor, Genesis LAMDA Scholar

Abdul Shayek – Artistic Director and Joint CEO, Tara Arts

Dame Janet Suzman – Actor, LAMDA Vice-President

–

Dance

Farooq Chaudhry OBE – Co-Founder and Executive Producer, Akram Khan Company

Stina Quagebeur – Dancer and Choreographer, English National Ballet

–

Art/ Photography

Michael Armitage – Artist

Emma Bowkett – Director of Photography, FT Magazine

Chris Levine – Artist

Frances Morris – Director, Tate Modern

Renee Odjidja – Curator: Youth Programmes, Whitechapel Gallery

Grayson Perry CBE RA – Artist – SPECIAL ADVISER

Rebecca Salter PRA – President, Royal Academy of Arts

Yinka Shonibare CBE RA – Artist

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Arts Leaders and Champions

Harriet Capaldi – Managing Director, Genesis Foundation

Jan Dalley – Arts Editor, Financial Times

Jemma Read – Head of Philanthropy, Bloomberg

John Studzinski CBE – Founder and Chairman, Genesis Foundation

Veronica Wadley, Baroness Fleet – Chair, Department for Education’s Expert Panel for the Model Music Curriculum

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John Studzinski CBE, Founder and Chairman of the Genesis Foundation, said:  

“Since its inception 20 years ago, the Genesis Foundation has grown to become a real network of networks. We put our trust in outstanding leaders to seek out exceptional talent, nurture them and amplify their voice. For Kickstart, we’ve reached out to our network and way beyond, and invited visionary artists and cultural leaders to join the Advisory Council. They will scout and guide the best freelance creative talent across the UK, and provide a boost to the sector at this challenging time.” 

Barbara Broccoli OBE, Producer, EON Productions and Special Adviser, Kickstart Fund, said: 

“The creative industries play a really important role within the UK economy and we must help the freelance talent within them whose careers have been greatly affected by the pandemic.  The Kickstart Fund is a great initiative to provide this support.” 

Grayson Perry CBE RA, Artist and Special Adviser, Kickstart Fund, said: 

“Carved into the beam in my studio is the motto ‘Creativity is Mistakes’. It is still true even in these shockingly difficult times. Artists need to experiment and get it wrong, there is no right way to make great art. But another important aspect of being creative is to feel relaxed and current circumstances prevent this.  Therefore I am very happy to be involved with the Genesis Kickstart fund. Artists, especially at the beginning of their careers, need support, and this fund will allow them to try new things, learn new skills and take risks even under the shadow of this crisis.” 

Benedict Cumberbatch CBE, President, LAMDA, said: 

“So much of the exciting work in the creative sector comes from young freelancers whose projects and income have been hit hard by the pandemic.  The Genesis Foundation’s Kickstart Fund is a brilliant initiative to help bring some of this work to life and support the young creatives to thrive. I am delighted to be representing LAMDA on the advisory council alongside some of the greats of the UK’s creative sector.”  

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To support the Genesis Kickstart Fund please donate here.

Fund will be steered by a panel of distinguished cultural leaders. It will create future-facing projects for outstanding freelance talent in the creative sector around the UK 

The Genesis Foundation, chaired by John Studzinski, announces a new £1mn Kickstart Fund to support freelancers in the creative sector.

The fund will be rolled out in 2021, to mark the 20^th anniversary of the Foundation. It is designed to enable outstanding freelance artists to stay on their career paths and explore new possibilities in a world radically altered by Covid-19. The Genesis Kickstart Fund follows the Genesis Covid-19 Artists Fund, launched in July, to provide £100,000 of emergency funding to freelance artists associated with its programmes with the Almeida Theatre, National Theatre, Young Vic, LAMDA and The Sixteen.

The Genesis Kickstart Fund will generate structured, project-based work opportunities for a diversity of freelance creative professionals. They will earn an income as they participate in future-facing projects while continuing to build their careers and professional networks. The first projects are expected to go live in mid-2021.

A group of eminent cultural leaders will sit on a panel to commission the projects. This includes Rupert Goold (Artistic Director of the Almeida Theatre), Kwame Kwei-Armah, (Artistic Director of the Young Vic) and Marie-Sophie Willis (Chief Executive of The Sixteen). Other panellists will be confirmed in due course.

John Studzinski CBE, Founder and Chairman of the Genesis Foundation, said: “COVID-19 has changed the world for all of us. At this crucial juncture we cannot afford to risk losing a whole generation of outstanding creative talent through lack of opportunity. The pandemic has been especially challenging for freelancers in the arts and creative sector. The Genesis Foundation’s Kickstart Fund will bring vital new opportunities for creative professionals through exciting projects run in collaboration with respected arts organisations. As we approach our 20^th anniversary, we continue our long-term strategy of affirming human dignity through the arts, one person at a time.”

Rupert Goold, Artistic Director of the Almeida Theatre, said:
The new Kickstart Fund typifies a spirit of solidarity and community across the cultural sector, and offers another example of where the Genesis Foundation ​is leading the way. So many artists, at all levels, are experiencing a real crisis right now and are even giving genuine consideration to leaving the industry. This new fund will get financial support to those artists in need and I am honoured to be joining the commissioning panel.” ​

Marie-Sophie Willis, CEO of The Sixteen, said:

“This new fund will allow organisations to take that leap of faith and undertake new projects that may help set them on a path to financial security. It will also provide invaluable creative work opportunities for the freelance artists they work with, in what has become a barren and desolate landscape. We wholeheartedly applaud John Studzinski and the Genesis Foundation for this exceptional endeavour which will prove to be a lifeline for so many in the arts community. Once again John’s vision sets yet another gold standard.”

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To support the Genesis Kickstart Fund please donate here.

Isidora Žebeljan has died at the age of only 54 and I wish that I did not have to believe it. The world has lost a truly original and important composer who wrote music with a very distinctive voice: her works were individual, strong, and emotionally appealing. We have also lost an important teacher with her passing. She was a professor of composition in Belgrade, influencing the next generation. A joyous and positive person, she has left many appealing compositions and also wrote music for films and the theatre. There is no question about her achievements. I knew her from the time she was first noticed by the Genesis Foundation and I was fortunate to attend several of her premieres, and not just the ones commissioned by Genesis that you can read about elsewhere on this site.

But above all I remember her as a warm, energetic and most loyal person; a loving wife to her husband, a fine and devoted mother. From the time I met her, I never had a birthday or Christmas without a card from her. She was one of those people who kept in touch, sometimes sporadically, but always reliably. And her humanity and warmth show in her compositions.

Isidora graduated from the Faculty of Musical Arts in Belgrade. She was subsequently engaged as a professor of composition at the same faculty from 2002. As opera intendant David Pountney, who presented an opera by her for the Bregenz Festival, has said, she had a totally original and extremely appealing voice as a composer. She was Serbian with a strong sense of her roots but she also spent a lot of time abroad and was really, like all artists, a citizen of the world. She represented, and portrayed in her work, all that is best and most exciting about our world, our humanity.  She had a successful career and a reasonable amount of recognition for her talent in her lifetime but she has left us far too soon after a long battle with illness. We are all poorer for losing the works that clearly would have come; and for losing such a splendid human being from this world.

Mel Cooper

Former Deputy Director, Genesis Foundation

This summer, the Genesis Foundation announced the Genesis Covid-19 Artists Fund, a £100,000 rescue fund for freelancers participating in the training programmes run in the foundation’s name by its partner organisations: the Young Vic, The Sixteen, the National Theatre, the Almeida Theatre and LAMDA. This emergency fund will go some way to ensuring the survival of the many freelancers involved in these vital schemes. Later in the year, a major new Genesis Fund, tailored to support individual artists facing unprecedented hardship, will be announced.

In view of the devastating impact of Covid-19, the Board of the Genesis Foundation, which has been nurturing emerging artists for the past 20 years, is prioritising funding for its established partners and for freelance artists whose livelihoods and careers have been jeopardised by the pandemic. As a consequence of this response to an unprecedented crisis, the Foundation has been obliged to reconsider its potential commitment to several forthcoming projects.

Among these is Hackney Council’s project honouring the Windrush Generation, and specifically two artworks, by artists Thomas J Price and Veronica Ryan, set to be unveiled in 2021. John Studzinski,  Founder and Chairman of the Genesis Foundation, has championed this important project from the outset. The Foundation was hoping to contribute funding towards its realisation, but after careful consideration, and with regret, has decided to withdraw from further participation in the planning for the two artworks.

In addition to his commitment to emerging artists, John Studzinski has a long history of supporting human rights causes. Until June 2020 he was a non-executive Director at the Home Office, providing external advice from the private sector and focusing on abolishing modern slavery through disrupting its proliferation via British corporate supply chains. He is also a co-founder of the Arise Foundation, which combats slavery and human trafficking.

Unfortunately, inaccurate critical references have recently been made on social media to the Foundation’s potential involvement in Hackney Council’s Windrush project. These have distracted attention from the admirable ideals and artistic values that have driven the entire project, and which will no doubt continue to define it as it reaches fruition in 2021. The Windrush sculptures need to be made, and the Genesis Foundation feels sure that Hackney Council will find the support it needs to realise them and pay due tribute to the Windrush Generation. The Genesis Foundation looks forward to seeing this project develop and wishes it every success. In the meantime, and as the pandemic crisis continues, the Foundation will prepare to announce details before the end of 2020 of its further support for freelance artists in the UK.

Students gather in the RA Schools Library. Photo by Cat Garcia.

The Genesis Foundation and the Royal Academy of Arts are delighted to announce an exciting new tool, designed exclusively for graduates of the RA Schools. The Genesis Graduates Network is a new online resource which brings together case studies, recorded programme content, a graduates events calendar, external content and a new forum where graduates can exchange ideas, thus providing graduates of the RA Schools with access to relevant resources and new ways to connect with each other.

The idea for a Genesis Network came from Rebecca Salter, President of the Royal Academy (then Keeper of the Royal Academy), recipient of the 2020 Genesis Prize for her work guiding the RA Schools. Reflecting the crucial role of mentoring in the development of new artistic talent, which is at the core of the Genesis Foundation’s ethos, she has used the prize money to develop a new programme that will provide graduates of the RA Schools with the professional skills and resilience training needed to survive as practising artists in the commercial world. In addition to this work, Rebecca has been keen to create a place where graduates can share their experience and knowledge with each other, and communicate whenever they need to.

As well as providing a way for RA Schools graduates to be in touch with each other in a much more immediate way, the Royal Academy will use the Genesis Network to communicate with the graduates on what they’re working on, such as relevant opportunities, or new shows and events at the RA.

Rebecca Salter, President of the Royal Academy, said:

“I am honoured to have been awarded the Genesis Prize 2020, which has enabled us to provide extended support for Royal Academy Schools students and graduates. The generous backing of the Genesis Foundation has made it possible for us to offer a series of resilience training sessions, teaching techniques to help overcome stress and adversity – a vital skill in these difficult times.
We have also built a new online platform hosting a variety of resources to boost professional practice and host a forum for graduates. This allows them to connect with the RA Schools community in a variety of ways, from exchanging advice to sharing opportunities. I know this exchange of experience and knowledge will have a lasting benefit for both graduates and current students and the legacy of the Genesis Prize 2020 will live on in this innovative initiative.”

Below are some of the features of the Genesis Graduates Network:

Harry Bradford is a prize-winning conductor and choral director based in London. He recently graduated from the Royal Academy of Music where he studied for an MMus Degree under Patrick Russill and was awarded both the Sir Thomas Armstrong prize and the prestigious DipRAM award for an outstanding final recital. Harry was the Genesis Sixteen Conducting Scholar 2018-19 and assisted Harry Christophers for the London premiere of Sir James MacMillan’s 5th Symphony. He is the Musical Director of Recordare, a new London-based chamber choir consisting of Genesis Sixteen alumni.

What’s your lockdown situation? Who’s on your quaranteam?

I’m staying with my flatmate in Putney – it’s quite a small space but I don’t think she’s totally sick of me just yet! We are quite lucky that there are a lot of different green spaces and picturesque walks around the area which helps to spice up the daily exercise route somewhat.

Are you able to work, are you inspired by what we are going through or do you find it challenging?

The last couple of weeks could be best described as a bit of a technological rollercoaster – I have gone from almost total technological ineptitude to a point where I am now able to run successful online rehearsals for the various amateur choirs that I conduct. I have been absolutely amazed at the quality of the computer programs and online resources we have access to during this period and, although it has been challenging and somewhat frustrating at times, I am sure that the skills I have learnt during this period will be incredibly beneficial for my practice in the future. It is fair to say that, purely from a selfish perspective, running online rehearsals via the use of pre-recorded videos and learning tracks comes nowhere close to the musical and social thrill of communal music making in person,  but I have been so heartened by the messages I have received from choir members expressing their gratitude. It is clear to me that music making, in any form, can mean so much to so many people during this tricky time.

Do you have a routine to stay creative?

Admittedly a lot of my time at the moment is spent on ‘Logic’ and ‘IMovie’ preparing resources for both my children’s and adult’s choirs. The rest of the time I’m either in discussions regarding exciting future projects, exploring new scores and music that I might be able to include in future concert programs or trying desperately to hone my decidedly average facility at the piano keyboard! Like most other choral musicians, I have also been experimenting with the virtual choir format. At the very beginning of the lockdown my colleagues and I at Recordare (a chamber choir formed of Genesis Sixteen Alumni) decided to come together ‘virtually’ and perform the first chorale of JS Bach’s St Mathew Passion. We were due to be performing part of the work as part of a project with Collective 31 – ‘St Matthew Passion Reimagined’ – in which Bach’s music would be interspersed with five new specially commissioned electroacoustic compositions that took their inspiration from the music of the passion. Fortunately, the project has been tentatively reorganised for next year so fingers crossed we will be in a position to perform by then!

Do you think what you’re going through will impact your practice long term?

I don’t think there is any way of sugar-coating the fact that this is very hard time for all musicians and we all have to accept that it could be fair while before we are all operating ‘as normal’. That being said, on a more positive note, it has become clear to me that despite technology’s great ability to, in some way, ‘plug the gap’ for art and cultural in people’s lives it has certainly not stopped people feeling at least partially starved of cultural nourishment – I’m so looking forward to, what I hope, will be an explosion of artistic endeavour when this is all over for audiences that are more eager than ever before for cultural enrichment in the flesh. We might also find that, after reaching a saturation point after months at home with Netflix, participation in music at an amateur level receives a welcome boost which would be a wonderful thing.

Is there any advice you would like to share to fellow artists, audiences or organisations on how to find resilience?

I think it’s important to take every day as it comes and to take pleasure in the little things. We need to remember why we do what we do and keep planning and looking forward as much as possible to when we can operate in an uninhibited manner again.

The Genesis Foundation today launches a £100k fund for freelance artists and calls for other philanthropists to follow its lead.

John Studzinski launches the £100,000 Genesis Covid-19 Artists Fund:

The £100,000 Genesis Covid-19 Artists Fund will provide a lifeline to freelance artists participating in Genesis Foundation programmes with the Almeida Theatre, LAMDA, National Theatre, the Young Vic and The Sixteen.

Following the recent announcement of the government’s ambitious rescue package for the arts, the Genesis Foundation today launches the Genesis Covid-19 Artists Fund to support the many freelancers involved in the Foundation’s programmes.

The Genesis Covid-19 Artists Fund adds a further £100,000 – equivalent to an extra 20 per cent – to the total annual funding committed to the Foundation’s current Partners: the Almeida, LAMDA, National Theatre, the Young Vic, and The Sixteen. Each partner organisation will then distribute grants at its discretion to best support the many freelance actors, writers, directors and performers in the Genesis network whose livelihood is threatened by the lockdown. The funding will be released in two tranches, each of £50,000, the first in July and the second before Christmas.

The Genesis Foundation was created 20 years ago and donates £500,000 a year to its partner organisations. Working closely with artistic leaders of major organisations, the Foundation has spearheaded ground-breaking programmes since its inception such as Genesis Sixteen, Genesis Directors at the Young Vic, Genesis Music Theatre at the National Theatre, the Almeida’s Genesis New Playwrights, Big Plays and the Genesis LAMDA Network.

John Studzinski, Founder and Chairman of the Genesis Foundation, said:
“The UK’s creative industries have suffered unprecedented damage from Covid-19. Emergency aid has come from Arts Council England and the Heritage Lottery fund, and we welcome the government’s ambitious rescue package. In the meantime, freelancers are bearing the brunt as theatres, museums and music organisations are struck by catastrophe.

“Our Genesis fund is intended as a lifeline to the artists the Genesis Foundation believes in. The Genesis Foundation calls for other charities and philanthropists to provide further support to this traditionally thriving sector.”

John Studzinski added:

“Supporting the arts is not charity, it is an investment. The sector is a crucial driver for this country’s economy and prestige. It reinforces communities. It enhances our mental health, well-being and spiritual growth. We need artists more than ever. Let’s help them now.”

 
The first tranche of the Genesis Covid-19 Artists Fund will be distributed as follows:

ALMEIDA THEATRE – Genesis Almeida New Playwrights, Big Plays Programme

The Genesis Almeida New Playwrights, Big Plays Programme is an annual programme that supports emerging and experienced writers to develop new plays for larger stages, giving them the space and time to experiment with form and scale. The grant to the Almeida will be distributed equally between this year’s Genesis Almeida Writers who, for the most part, have had work postponed or cancelled which has led to a significant loss of income and opportunities. A number of writers have also had supplementary work cancelled, work that normally allows them to maintain freelance careers that give space and focus to writing.

Rupert Goold, Artistic Director of the Almeida Theatre, said:
“We are hugely grateful to the Genesis Foundation for its Covid-19 Artists Fund and continued generosity. These times are very challenging for the whole performing arts sector and, in particular, for freelancers and emerging artists. With the theatre closed and no box office income, it is grants such as this that allow us to continue offering support to artists such as our Genesis Almeida Writers group.”

London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art – Genesis LAMDA Network

The Genesis LAMDA Network pairs a final year student on the BA (Hons) Professional Acting, MFA Professional Acting, and Foundation Degree Production & Technical Arts stage and screen courses with an experienced graduate to support them as they enter the industry. LAMDA will use the Genesis Covid-19 Artists grant to put towards the UK Student Hardship Fund it is setting up to help students who are in great need.

Sarah Frankcom, Director of LAMDA, said:
“The Genesis Foundation has been a vital partner of LAMDA over the years, providing 25 three-year scholarships for students who would not have been able to study at LAMDA otherwise, supporting the Genesis LAMDA network with mentoring for graduating students and now at this very difficult time supporting our Student Hardship Fund. This will help students who are struggling financially due to the pandemic and enable them to thrive creatively in their studies.”

NATIONAL THEATRE – The Genesis Music Theatre programme

The National Theatre’s Genesis Music Theatre programme plays a vital role in the NT’s strategy to prioritise support for the next generation of musical theatre production and to enhance opportunity, structure and rigour around music theatre work in the UK. The National Theatre will be using the Genesis Covid-19 Artists Fund to support performers who have taken part in two or more workshops as part of the Genesis Music Theatre programme over the past two years.

Rufus Norris, Artistic Director of the National Theatre, said:
“Freelancers are the creative lifeblood of the theatre sector, and we know they have been amongst the hardest hit during this very challenging time.
We are incredibly thankful to the Genesis Foundation for supporting music theatre at the National Theatre, and are grateful that this additional grant allows us to provide some financial support to some of the performers who have been vital in helping us to develop this important strand of our activity over the last two years.”

THE SIXTEEN – Genesis Sixteen

Genesis Sixteen is The Sixteen’s young artists’ scheme, delivered at no charge to participants, which aims to nurture the next generation of talented choral singers and create a bridge from conservatories/universities into the singing profession. The Sixteen aim to distribute the grants to Genesis Sixteen Alumni who are facing hardship and have had significant work cancelled because of the crisis.

The Sixteen Founder and Conductor Harry Christophers CBE, said:
“The Genesis Covid-19 Artist Fund epitomises John Studzinski’s empathy and generosity of spirit. It is absolutely no surprise at all that he and the Genesis Foundation are extending their support in this way to members of the Genesis Foundation family.
In this time of great uncertainty, this fund comes at a key moment. Government support for freelancers and the self-employed comes to an end in August (those at the start of their career are ineligible in any case), and we are no clearer about what performance opportunities, if any, there will be for freelancers in the autumn.
Launching a career as a performer is daunting enough under normal circumstances, but for a young singer to be launching a career under the current conditions, this support could make all the difference and give them the courage to keep on the performing path. Our heartfelt gratitude to the Genesis Foundation.”

YOUNG VIC THEATRE – Genesis Network, Genesis Future Directors Awards, Genesis Fellowship

The Genesis Foundation has supported the Young Vic for nearly 20 years and currently funds the two-year Genesis Fellowship, the Genesis Network and the Genesis Future Directors Awards. The aim of the Genesis Foundation’s support is that these directors should emerge from their experience at the Young Vic technically confident, grounded in their craft and able to realise their creative vision.

Kwame Kwei-Armah, Artistic Director of the Young Vic, said:
“In recognition of the vital place the Genesis Future Directors Award plays in our support of artists we have decided to support 10 directors who are part of the Genesis Network and who work with the Young Vic’s Take Part department. We believe these grants will make a real difference to these individuals, whether they use them to enhance their practice or pay their bills – it shows that the Genesis Foundation is invested in their future and the contribution they can make to the profession as a whole.”

For further information please contact:

Cécile Beauvillard Burman, Associate Director, Genesis Foundation
[email protected]
+39 327 7759 686