Ah well... I guess that riding high of the euphoria of our first year's success where we got lucky with audience response and a small arts grant was going always lead us down the path of being a bit too ambitious with our second year planning... we tried to be sober about it, but in the end, we created a programming for our core series that was over-reliant on a similar arts grant.

The vision for the core of four chamber music concerts in 2024 was to have guests coming in for each one. That was something that was possible last year with the grant, but it was dependent on the grant money being there! Our original 2023 plan wasn't quite so ambitious, but when we had the money, we made sure to hit the first year in style!

However, my wife and I are pragmatic people... at least on the financial front, and we did use some of the unexpected windfall to buffer and prepare for following seasons.

In our pitch for 2024 for the core chamber series, we aimed similarly high, with a minimum of two guests coming in for each concert. There was one particular concert in the series was that definitely dependent on funding to go ahead, and everyone knew that from the get go... and sadly, when we didn't get the funding (the news came yesterday), that meant that we had to make the decision to rework that concert concept into a smaller and lighter version.

It was the most expensive concert in the series due to the fact that we had two guests, plus they were coming in from a more distant city... so, travel costs were significantly higher.

Given our current buffer, it was just possible that we could pull it off... but there would be a significant chance that we would sink if the other concerts didn't sell well. And in these arts ventures, all your costs and expenses are before the event... with unsure revenue until AFTER the event. It is one of the primary reasons that most arts organisations end up failing...

... and we didn't want to take that risk. We have always said that we would play it slow and financially conservatively... and that meant that that concert would be reworked into a much smaller version that would only have my wife and I feature... so, much much lower in terms of expenses and fees. In fact, seeing as we are still running in a quasi-startup mode (ie, founders not being paid...), that would make it a potential chance for us to buffer up a reserve to make sure that the original planned concert could go ahead in 2025.

Hard choices... and I just wrote the emails that confirmed the postponing of the concert. It was always a penciled in possibility, with the whole thing dependent on funding... but it still sucks to write that email.

... and I was still trying to figure out a way to make it work... but my wife, the voice of reason, said... no, we have to put it back to next year. It was ALWAYS our fallback plan... and it would not be wise to chase something that had too much of a risk.

In some ways it sucks, but at least we are certain about the year coming ahead now for our group. We can get moving on the publicity and announcements... that will take my mind off the dissapointment. We still have concerts to give and education courses as well...

... and currently, for 2024, that stands at 4 core chamber concerts, 7 additional concerts, and 5 education projects. Again... way more than any sane ensemble that is entering into a second year! We are financially conservative... but we are absolute nutters when it comes to sharing our music!

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