Recognising the challenge and expense of staging dance with live music, the RPS Drummond Lockyer Fund for Dance enables practitioners to activate plans that may not otherwise have been possible, exploring new collaborations and sharing vibrant new creations with audiences.

The fund began life in 2007 as the RPS Drummond Fund in memory of the writer, broadcaster and lifelong dance aficionado Sir John Drummond CBE. In the years since, it has supported a range of collaborations between composers and choreographers, as detailed here. It was set up by John’s long term partner Bob Lockyer OBE, himself a major force in British dance for decades. Sadly Bob died in 2022 and you can read our tribute to him here. In recognition of all Bob himself did, and his relationship with John, the fund now bears a new name: the RPS Drummond Lockyer Fund for Dance. A generous gift from Bob’s Will has also replenished the fund so that we can continue supporting composers and choreographers for some years to come.

This year, we are pleased to support six projects through two separate funding streams: ‘Performance’ and ‘Research & Development’. This enables us to support partnerships ready to stage their work, while also nurturing new collaborations requiring time and space to plant the seeds of a project they might subsequently bring to the stage.

Details of the composers and choreographers we are supporting are listed below, and you can discover more about the six exciting projects they are working on here.

‘Learning to Dream Big’ from Luna
Kate Whitley composer and Seeta Patel choreographer
Birmingham Royal Ballet

Anatomy of Survival
Stefano Ancora composer and Frauke Requardt choreographer
The Place

Village
James Keane composer and Theo Clinkard choreographer
Theo Clinkard Dance

Theatres of Hysteria
Chloe Knibbs composer and Klaudia Wittmann choreographer
KWAM Collective

TELLUS
Dickson Mbi composer and choreographer
Dickson Mbi Company

Caught Again in the Net of Rebirth
Torben Sylvest composer and Chandenie Gobardhan choreographer

Applications for the next round of grants from the RPS Drummond Lockyer Fund for Dance will be announced in mid-January 2025 on our website.

The Royal Philharmonic Society – a registered charity – has been at the heart of music for over 200 years, creating opportunities for musicians to excel, and championing the vital role that music plays in all our lives.

Through our programme of grants, commissions, professional development and performance opportunities, we help many performers and composers overcome barriers to progress and fulfil their potential. Through the annual RPS Awards – described this year by The Sunday Times as ‘the biggest night in UK classical music’ – we celebrate musical accomplishments UK-wide and tell a vital story of what music-makers do for the benefit of others. Through RPS Membership and our new talks and events, we aim to cultivate greater pride and curiosity in classical music. Through all our endeavours, we are dedicated to proving classical music’s rightful and powerful place in society.

To discover more about how you can join our cause, click here.