ABOUT
THE NCEM
Welcome to the National Centre for Early Music (NCEM). The NCEM is based in the medieval, Grade I listed, converted church of St Margaret’s which stands in the heart of the City of York in an attractive and spacious church garden.
It was converted in 2000 thanks to a National Lottery grant, which transformed the building into a stunning setting for concerts. We are an accessible, flexible and intimate music venue that seats audiences of up to 180.
Our aim is to involve as wide a range of people as possible in the pleasure, enrichment and inspiration that music and music-making can offer, and we promote NCEM as a national and international exemplar of the highest possible standards of creative practice, artistic performance and public engagement.
OUR MISSION
- Promote NCEM York as a national and international exemplar of the highest possible standards of creative practice, artistic performance and public engagement;
- Engage with a culturally diverse artistic base in order to run a season of varied and inspiring performances across a wide range of musical genres;
- Offer flagship festivals celebrating early music in particular;
- Strive constantly to widen our audience base through innovative engagement activities and creative evolution of our digital channels;
- Enhance the wellbeing of individuals and communities through music;
- Share understanding and enjoyment of all forms of music, and early music in particular, through exemplary learning and participation activities that tackle historic and systemic inequities in creative ways;
- Inspire young people to study, perform and enjoy music;
- Support career access and progression at all levels and in all spheres of music-making and artistic management, with a special focus on performers specialising in early music;
- Continue to build a network of local, regional, national and international partners who share our values, offering them support, inspiration and leadership;
- Ensure that St Margaret's continues to be a source of joy for future generations.
All our work is guided through our core values which are: welcoming, excellence, integrity, authenticity, quality and ambition.
OUR PRINCIPLES
As an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation 2023-2026, the NCEM is committed to delivering the Arts Council's Investment Principles of Inclusivity & Relevance, Ambition & Quality, Environmental Responsibility, and Dynamism. Our ambitions over the three year funding period (2023-2026) are:
Inclusivity & Relevance
To engage with diverse artists in a range of genres reflecting the diversity of our community, developing an inclusive mindset within our teams in order to welcome people from a wider range of backgrounds to the NCEM. Success will be a wider range of voices involved and engaged in our work.
Ambition & Quality
To develop a cycle around our established evaluation process; setting ambitions, interrogating results and building outcomes into planning. To engage with new audiences by understanding perceptions from those outside our community. Success will be a planning cycle and plans developing new audiences.
Environmental Responsibility
To better understand our data and share our carbon-reduction intentions across the NCEM and our audiences. We will partner in the city-wide sustainability focussed group of NPOs who support council net zero goals. Success will be a full decarbonisation plan by the end of the funding period.
Dynamism
As a small & specialised team we will continue to develop our resilience, creativity & innovation. We will strengthen links with Higher Education partners to build our knowledge and skills and share these across the sector. Success will be a recognition of NCEM as a hub for creative innovation.