'tis the season of giving 2021

As we mark the second year since the Covid-19 outbreak, we can look back on 2021 and be grateful for the glimmer of hope that was available to us. Concert halls and opera houses reopened, which subsequently led to more performances for everyone in the industry. We here at CLB Management look back on all of the achievements our talented roster of musicians embarked upon and we were delighted to sign eight new artists including Theo Imart, Jolyon Loy, Brian Giebler, Gwendoline Blondeel, Maxime Melnik, Arcangelo, Wooden Elephant, and duo Lucile Richardot & Anne de Fornel.

Highlights of CLB Management’s year include Sarah Gilford’s selection for the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World; Reginald Mobley earning another GRAMMY ® nomination; Paul Carey Jones performing the role of Wotan in Die Walküre at the Longborough Opera Festival; Le Consort making their UK debut with their new album Specchio Veneziano, which was listed as one of the top 10 classical albums for November 2021 by Apple Music; Choc de Classica awarded to both Théotime Langlois de Swarte and Justin Taylor for their albums Générations and La Famille Rameau respectively; Tanguy de Williencourt and Théotime Langlois de Swarte releasing a new album Proust-le concert Retrouvé, which was named one of the 2021 Gramophone Recordings of the year; lastly, two of Wooden Elephant’s tracks were featured in a major Hollywood film, Swan Song.

Although there is much to be thankful for, we still need to look ahead and make sure 2022 can shine brighter. This holiday season, CLB Management has chosen to donate to Help Musicians UK as a form of gratitude and support in all the work they do. Help Musicians UK was founded in honour of English tenor Gervase Elwes who tragically died in a railway accident in Boston, USA in 1921. Throughout his life, he had shown compassion and kindness to musicians and composers, counting Ralph Vaughan Williams and Edward Elgar as his friends. Following his death, his friends set up a fund for musicians in his name, and in 1930, this became the Musicians Benevolent Fund. During the Second World War, pianist Myra Hess gave the charity the financial boost that it needed to continue the work by donating the proceeds of her famous concert series, which ran throughout the War at the National Gallery. In 2014, the charity adopted the name Help Musicians to bring the core message to a wider range of musicians and supporters.

Today, Help Musicians UK provides both financial and mental health support to professional musicians of all genres, from starting out through to retirement. As they celebrate their 100th anniversary, the independent charity has been providing a broad range of help to support music creators in times of crisis and opportunity - ensuring musicians across the UK can achieve their creative potential and sustain a career in music. To find out more about their work and how you can support them, click here.