Unholy row as leading London church axes musicians, 'using Covid as a cover'

Ten London musical ensembles claim they have been “summarily dismissed” by one of the capital’s most prestigious churches in an “act of callous and unchristian behaviour”.

The orchestras and choirs have put on concerts regularly at St Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square for 30 years, paying a hire fee for the venue and commission on ticket sales.

But over the summer the church announced a “new vision” for its concert offerings, concentrating on in-house provision, using its own professional musicians, and aiming to generate more income by cutting out “third-party promoters”.

St Martin’s has been accused of using the Covid pandemic as “cover” for excluding the ensembles, who have built its reputation as a musical venue. Peter Dyson of the Belmont Ensemble of London,which has given more than 800 concerts at the church since 1991, said a “flourishing community effort” was being jettisoned at a time when freelance musicians were “on our knees”.

“We have given our heart and soul to St Martin’s for 30 years,” he told the Observer. “We’ve been squeezed and squeezed over the past few years, and now they are just cutting us out.”

The ensembles claim there has been no consultation on the change. The move, they say, “will cause severe hardship for hundreds of our musicians in numerous orchestras and choirs who have served and supported St Martin’s faithfully, building a concert series from virtually nothing over three decades, creating the commercially and artistically successful concert series we see today”.

Before Covid, their concerts generated millions of pounds for the church and its work with the homeless, Dyson added. The 10 ensembles provide work for about 200 freelance musicians, who are “now being discarded and thrown on to the scrap heap,” he said. The church charges the ensembles £2,350 to hire the venue for a Saturday concert, plus 15% commission on ticket sales.

Covid has been “the worst time in living memory for most musicians, having their livelihoods decimated by the inability to perform in public”, said Dyson. Now hopes of recovery had been “snuffed out”.

Big churches and cathedrals have seen a sharp decline in income over the past six months, with the loss of venue hire, revenue from cafes and shops, and collections during services. Andrew Earis, St Martin’s director of music, said: “We intend to combine the popular programming for which St Martin’s is known and loved with new strands of ambitious music-making; and we will work alongside select partners to deliver this vision. In these challenging times, when St Martin’s is under immense financial strain, we also want these changes to create a music structure that best supports both musicians and our wider work.

“Our aim is to create an open venue that is welcoming to a broad range of musicians and artists, both up-and-coming and established, giving many more people the opportunity to perform at our iconic church.”

Musicians who had previously hired or performed at the church would be able to apply to do so again, he added.

Deborah Annetts, chief executive of the Incorporated Society of Musicians, said: “We urge the senior management at the church to begin meaningful consultation, so that the promoters and freelancers can continue to supply the fabulous musicians which have been such an important feature at St Martin-in-the-Fields for 30 years. This is the moment for conciliation and compromise, not for division.”