Roseland Music Society's 25th birthday appeal
An Appeal – A Grand Piano for Cornwall for all to EnjoyThe Roseland Society is approaching its 25th birthday in 2027, where we are now planning a celebratory season.. Between September and December 2025 we are running an appeal for a Grand Piano for Cornwall. Our objective to raise £15,000 towards the goal of acquiring a wonderful transformative instrument not just for the Roseland but for Cornwall.
If you are here to donate - You can donate securely and quickly here
Donate to "A Grand Piano for Cornwall for all to Enjoy".
But if you want to know more .......read on.
THE IDEA
The idea behind acquiring the grand piano is that in rural Cornwall there are very few pianos of quality around which concerts of high quality, rehearsal, tuition, learning and public enjoyment can be arranged. Roseland Music Society and other local music societies and festivals (with whom we intend to share this piano once acquired) rely on using uprights and electric pianos - which do not fully explore the beauty, depth, colour and sound of a quality 7 foot concert grand instrument. By purchasing a robust grand piano (as pictured) of concert hall quality, musicians can be invited of international standing without compromise, young pianists, singers, and other instrumentalists can have an opportunity to play with a real grand in recital, before examinations or concerts, and the quality of sound (taken for granted in concert halls elsewhere) can be enjoyed by audiences in Cornwall too.
WHY ROSELAND MUSIC SOCIETY
Roseland Music Society's winter season has been at the heart of the social, musical and artistic activity in Cornwall and on the Roseland for nearly 25 years, bringing a huge variety of music; classical, jazz, early music and choral music along with a stream of eminent. musicians of all backgrounds to our churches and halls and drawing audiences to our peninsula. We are a registered charity and can receive gift aided donations and awards from charitable trusts. All our trustees, and hard working committee members are volunteers. In fact so many people in our community have volunteered over the years and our members have been such stalwarts in supporting the running of the society that thousands have actually attended the concerts! We are also part of a wider grouping of small village concert promoters working together (spread across Cornwall) and local music festivals who will all benefit from the presence of a quality grand piano which we at Roseland Music Society intend to share.
ENGAGEMENT WITH YOUNG PEOPLE
The Society sees as a critical part of its role is to provide educational opportunities for young people both in the immediate area of the Roseland and have an impact in a much wider catchment. In the past year 2024-2025 for example we have organised, through our Roseland Youth Music programme, workshops and music demonstrations in all the Roseland primary schools and at the secondary school The Roseland Academy as well as hosting participatory events and working on community projects with other local organisations such as the hugely successful “Roseland Carols” exhibition organiied with the Roseland Museum and Old Cornwall Societies which took place in Truro Cathedral. Raising standards and opportunities to participate is at the core of our vision for this piano. Lending the piano to a summer festival in St Austell, another venue or concert in Mylor will allow many more to enjoy it.
THE PIANO
We have identified a Yamaha S 6 piano with the help of two concert pianists and a number of experts and advisers. he brief included a requirement to be robust, moveable, high quality sound, affordable and available. The Chairman of the society accompanied by William Howard, the concert pianist and formerly an Artist in Residence at the Hall for Cornwall went to audition about 15 pianos and selected the Yamaha S6 pictured, we have also been advised in its choice by Malcolm Mckeand, a leading piano technician with strong links to Cornwall, and our regular piano tuner Clive Ellison.
THE ASK: Donate, Join Our Piano Circle, Sponsor the Piano, Naming Rights ...your own ideas?
This is a public appeal for support from across Cornwall. We intend for the piano to be a huge asset for a wide group of active organisations in music. We received written support from Carrick Concerts (Mylor and Flushing), Nova Music Festival fo St Austell, and St Endellion Summer Festival for an application to the Cornwall Council Community Capacity Fund for our piano fund. AND WE HAVE JUST HEARD WE HAVE WON AN AWARD OF £12,751
Also Roseland Musiic Society members have also been generously donating in the past two weeks. And we are NOW well past the half-way mark to its acquisition with a target for this instrument of £24,500, with the balance to provide cover, stool, system for humidity control etc to protect this valuable instrument.
Join our Piano Circle
The Yamaha piano has 88 keys. If you donate £100 to our fund (plus Gift Aid if you are a tax payer) you can be inscribed in our Piano Circle group - have one of those keys as your symbolic donation to the acquisition and we will thank you by name with hopefully 88 others in our season's programmes (if you wish) . Or if you are generous contribute two keys or an octave? This group will remain focused for the long-term on making the piano available for the wider community and costs of moving it between venues when required. Donate and join RMS Piano Circle
Donate. Just make a small contribution
All contributions however small are welcome we know many of our society members are pensioners and those on low incomes. Here is the link Donate to "A Grand Piano for Cornwall for all to Enjoy".
Sponsor the Piano or "Naming Rights"
We are after one local business or individual who would like their business, their family, someone you want to commemorate , their name to be associated with the piano. If you are a local business and would like to have "naming" rights which could include an embroidered logo on our piano cover, or you want to remember a loved one, or offer a legacy to this charity (benefitting from gift aid and other tax relief) with a sizeable gift related to this music ambition in the local community Please contact our Chairman Tim Smithies timsmithies@gmail.com who will be delighted to talk to you.
HOW TO MAKE DONATIONS
Other ways to donate funds.
Digital Using the digital link will manage gift aid (receipt your gift) and GDPR reporting requirements easily for you and the Society (it is a little abrupt - apologies - gift aid details and receipt information comes up after the donation! ). Donate any amount you like.
Donate to "A Grand Piano for Cornwall for all to Enjoy".
Cheque. If you want to make a donation by cheque please make your cheques payable to "Roseland Music Society" and send to TIm Smithies, Chairman, Roseland Music Society, c/o Little Narabo, Old Tram Road, Devoran, Cornwall TR3 6NF remembering to include your full name, home address and (if relevant) declatation that you claim gift aid and are a UK taxpayer) and so we can send a receipt for your tax return.
Bank transfer You can also make a donation direct to our bank account. Please apply to timsmithies@gmail.com for the details of the bank transfer
In person at concerts of the Roseland Music Society, our team can take payments and documentation with our card machines. Please be clear that you wish to donate to the Piano fund. We may also be present at other performances and events to canvas support for this vision
Help us Raise the Funds
If you have another idea for raising funds we are ready to go live with a Crowdfunder, they could be a simple as - host a coffee morning, bring cakes to concerts, - or for those a bit younger take on a cycling/running/walking challenge around the Roseland Coastal Path or across the Saints Way - of for musicians - offer a "play in" or busking fund.... let us know. We are preparing a Crowdfunder appeal. Send an email to Tim Smithies. timsmithies@gmail.com. with "RMS Crowdfunder Idea" in the subject line..provide a phone number and he will be in touch
Urgency
Please come on board and help us to achieve this goal. We have only three months to "match" the award made by the Cornwall Council Community Capacity Fund....let's act today.
WIth excited and hopeful thanks from the Committee of Roseland Music Society Registered Charity No. 1098140
