About Us
Joint Chair
Simon Foster
Clancy Steer
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Director
Michael Maxwell Steer
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Deputy Director
Arturo Serna
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Treasurer
Stephen Welford
Trustees
S Foster
MJ Gibbons
R Reid
J Salter
J Scott-Clarke
D Steer
C Steer
S Steer
S Welford
B Dalton
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The Cherubim Music Trust (charity #1088403) owes its existence to Clancy Steer, who founded it in response to her personal experience and keen understanding of the needs of young musicians:
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“Our daughter Serafina chose to take up the harp aged seven. After graduating from Chethams School of Music, where she had access to a first-rate concert harp, we were faced with buying her a £10,000 instrument for music college – but as we had only recently moved house a further loan was out of the question. For us, a genuine fairy godmother provided a suitable instrument, so the ground was laid for Serafina’s later successes as a harpist and songwriter.”
To help others in similar situations Clancy created Cherubim Music Trust in 2001 with the aid of the Gosling Foundation. In the decades since, the Trust has grown steadily by purchase, donation and loan and now holds 50+ instruments worth over £550,000 that are loaned to young talented musicians in need of a better instrument.
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‘Helping Tomorrow’s Musicians Today’
is what drives the Cherubim Music Trust.
This takes many forms:
• lending professional instruments to promising performers:
• growing our instrument collection by donation and acquisition:
• giving performance & recording opportunities to our awardees:
• educational outreach to schools to find and encourage potential musicians.
By enriching the experience of young musicians
we’re preparing them to enrich the experience of audiences.
Patrons
Baroness Cumberlege CBE DL
Alison Balsom
Michael Collins FRCM HonRAM
Sir Mark Elder
Prof Guy Johnston
Tasmin Little
Chi-chi Nwanoku MBE
Trevor Pinnock CBE
Prof Gabriella Dall’Olio
Personnel
Founder
Deirdre Clancy Steer
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Clancy played a key role in the development of modern theatre since seminal 1960s at the London Royal Court. She has collaborated with many of the world’s leading theatre, opera and film directors, designing nearly 200 productions worldwide. She holds two Oliviers for Best Costume, a BAFTA Best Costume for Mrs Brown.
Director
Michael Maxwell Steer
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Clancy’s husband is currently directing the Trust. A former BBC music producer and Head of 20thC Studies at the Junior Royal College of Music, he composes and teaches in Wiltshire while maintaining a career as a performer.
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Chair
Simon Foster
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Accounts
2021-2022
Behind the scenes
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The reason the Trust runs fairly smoothly in public is because we have some first-class professionals supporting it behind the scenes.
Heather Conder
Heather Conder is Cherubim’s Social Media Manager and also a London based Actor, Singer and Musician. She studied Music at The University of Cambridge and The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. She now performs professionally and has performed in West End, Off-West End and regional productions.