THE National Centre for Early Music, in York, has been awarded a grant of £270,467 a year for the next three years as part of Arts Council England’s National Portfolio programme.

Welcoming this renewed funding, director Delma Tomlin says: “It’s on the same level as our grant funding for the past two years.

“It will allow us to continue to support artistic excellence in early music, from the medieval to the baroque period; to support the development of young talented professionals; and to encourage more people to experience and be inspired by early music in particular, alongside many other musical genres including world music and jazz.”

In addition, the NCEM has received a capital grant of £133,395 to carry out “important improvements” to St Margaret’s Church, the Walmgate home of the NCEM since 2000.

“These improvements will focus on the artist, participant and audience experiences through improved lighting, staging and audio-visual and IT facilities,” says Delma.

“We’ll also reduce energy and maintenance costs through strategic investment, designed to support long-term sustainability.”

In making the grants, the Arts Council described the NCEM as “outstanding” in meeting its goals.

“We’re delighted to be part of the Arts Council’s National Portfolio programme for another three years,” says Delma.

“We have ambitious plans ahead and will be pivotal in developing a national early music strategy alongside key promoters, venues and festivals throughout the country.”

Delma confirmed that NCEM would continue to run its three festivals in Yorkshire: the York Early Music Festival, the Beverley & East Riding Early Music Festival and the York Early Music Christmas Festival, along with holding the York Early Music International Young Artists Competition and the NCEM Young Composers Award supported by BBC Radio 3. The regular programme of early classical, world, folk and jazz concerts will be sustained, as will the year-round creative learning programme for young musicians.

“We look forward to celebrating early music and other music genres over the next three years through performances, workshops, recordings, broadcasts, educational opportunities and live streaming,” says Delma. “We’re also look forward to introducing new audiences to our repertoire.”

To find out more about the NCEM, visit ncem.co.uk or follow Twitter @yorkearlymusic