Welcome to SongEasel
A platform for Song in South East London.
Our annual song series features some of the world’s leading exponents of song, whilst our vibrant community engagement and education programmes bring live music of an international standard to new listeners, building audiences for the genre in innovative and creative ways.
SongEasel is an Arts and Education charity operating in South East London.
Latest News
Season Review: A Vast Obscurity
We presented our best and boldest recital and community outreach programme to date, A Vast Obscurity.
Over April to June we brought six exceptional recitals of song to South East London, with performances from some of the world's leading exponents of song, including renowned baritone Roderick Williams OBE, celebrated tenor Mark Padmore CBE, and stellar sopranos Francesca Chiejina and Ella Taylor.
Meanwhile, our Shakespeare-inspired Schools Project engaged more than 1200 state school primary pupils and our Young Artist Programme provided first-rate opportunities to as many as 18 talented early-career professionals in the form of Masterclasses, Professional Development Talks and Performance Platforms in both our professional recital series and in local care homes .
“Thanks for such a wonderful concert. The singing & playing were so moving. What a gamut of emotions! So entertaining, it had everything - including humour, which is always good!”
— (Audience member, September 2021)
SongEasel was founded by Jocelyn Freeman in 2018 with a mission to fill South East London with song. Operating across Lewisham, Blackheath and Southwark to date, the initiative has grown steadily, being awarded charitable status in February 2022.
The project was inspired by a passion to bring song to a wider audience, building the next generation of concertgoers through innovative musical performances and workshops of an international standard. SongEasel activities reach a wide and diverse demographic of the local population and those from further afield, including many who would not normally have access to live music.
With five song recital series completed, as well as an acclaimed outreach programme, a thriving Young Artist Programme, and a burgeoning Fringe programme launched in 2022, what began as a vehicle to share the joy of song is now gaining international recognition for its impact on the musical and educational sectors.
Awareness of the local community in which SongEasel operates forms an important part of our planning and development as we aim to support and inspire growth through our partnerships and beneficiaries. Diversity commitments are a significant part of our mission to achieve this and we aim to continue to demonstrate inclusivity within classical music as our activities broaden to reach a wider audience.
About
“I’m sorry I’m unable to donate, these are the clothes I sleep in. I love Schubert.”
— (Audience member at free Catford Concerts, May 2022)
Plan Your Visit
We programme events in a variety of venues in South East London.
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Blackheath Halls is an entertainment venue in South East London offering a variety of events in the surrounds of a Grade II listed building. Just 11mins from London Bridge station, and on numerous bus routes, facilities include a bar and accessible toilets.
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St. Laurence Church located at the heart of South East London, rooted in the local community in Catford. Their lively music tradition complements our vision, and facilities include pre-concert refreshments, accessible toilets and parking. Direct trains from Blackfriars and London Bridge link this venue to Central London in 15-30mins, and it is on many bus routes.
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This intimate song venue is a Grade II listed building with wood panelling and a vaulted ceiling. Facilities boast ample parking, accessible toilets and a bar for refreshments, and numerous local bus routes serve the locality, which is less than 20mins from London Victoria via West Dulwich Station.
Our Artistic Director
The award-winning Welsh collaborative pianist and conductor Jocelyn Freeman is lauded for her artistry, innovation, and powers of communication. Recently endorsed with a prestigious Associateship from the Royal Academy of Music, she is an advocate for diversity in a range of artistic endeavours and a skilled communicator on the concert platform, and in broadcasting, industry and lifestyle publications and events. Founder-Director of SongEasel, she has curated extensive concert and recording projects to wide critical acclaim and values her role as a mentor with early career musicians.
Our Trustees
Our board of Trustees comprises:
Clare Caddick (Safeguarding Officer)
Jocelyn Freeman (Artistic Director)
Matthew Gasser
Charles Pickstone (Chairman)
Jeremy Young (Secretary/Treasurer)
For more information about our work and organisation you can read our most recent summary here.
Support
Join our family of Friends and Volunteers: share our journey of song!
SongEasel was founded in 2018 and achieved charitable status in 2022. We rely on the support of our Friends and volunteers: without this amazing generosity, our work simply would not be possible.
For our Buy A Recital fundraising campaign, please click here.
Friends of SongEasel
Can you help to support for our upcoming and future projects as us we build on the exciting work we have done to date?
We invite you to join the SongEasel Friends by supporting an aspect of the series for as little as £5 per month. Your contribution, little or large, will make a significant impact, through sponsoring a recital, supporting opportunities for one of our talented Young Artists, commissioning research to support our programming, or sponsoring a recital in the series, or enabling a workshop for 60 children.
To learn more about our plans and vision for the future and to explore how you can support our charitable mission, please get in touch - we would love to hear from you!
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Free newsletter from the Artistic Director
Advanced booking and reserved seating
Invitation to a drinks reception for you and a guest
Annual donations from £55, or £4.60 per month
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As above, plus two tickets for a SongEasel recital of your choice
Named acknowledgement in series programmes
Annual donations from £150, or £12.50 per month
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Sponsor an emerging artist in recital. As above plus:
Handwritten thank you card & individual meet-the-artists
Annual donations from £300, or £25 per month
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Sponsor an established artist in recital
As above
Annual donations from £600, or £50 per month
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Sponsor a full concert or headline artist
As above
Annual donations from £1,000, or £83.35 per month
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Sponsor a expanded concert or series of events
As above
Annual donations from £3,000 or £250 per month
Gift Aid
You must be paying sufficient Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax to cover the amount of Gift Aid on all your donations for the tax year. Higher rate taxpayers can claim the difference between the higher and basic rate on the total value of your donation. So, to increase the value of your donation, please Gift Aid it. Please tick the Gift Aid section of our donations form to confirm that you are willing for us to recover the tax.
To join the Friends of SongEasel, please complete this form or write to us via the Contact Form
The Gift Aid scheme allows SongEasel as a charity to claim the tax back on your donation, directly from HMRC. This means that £100 can be turned into £125 without costing you more.
Corporate Sponsorship
We programme acclaimed concerts in the heart of South East London, with digital performances in the Global Concert Hall, and have a thriving social media following. We offer advertising opportunities and exposure to large audiences with sponsorship of a single event or ongoing relationship.
Stay In Touch
Get in touch to enquire about a booking, a new collaboration, becoming a volunteer or Friend of SongEasel, or just to say hi!
Fill out our contact form with your name, email address and message and we’ll get back to you soon.
Your voice matters!
As we develop our mission and future projects we would love to find out more about our audiences and their experiences. Complete the following survey to share your voice.