About Us
Continuo Foundation launched Continuo Connect in 2023 as a free, public digital platform designed to improve visibility and discovery across the Early Music world. The site brings together a comprehensive concert and festival directory, artist profiles, interviews, articles, news, curated playlists, films and short videos in one accessible space. Continuo Connect works collaboratively with exponents of Early Music, highlighting activities across the sector in listings, features and its newsletter. For people who love the art form, it offers a richer way to explore; for curious newcomers, it opens a welcoming door. Continuo Foundation and Continuo Connect support the creation of Early Music and its visibility. One helps projects take shape; the other helps audiences discover them. Both reflect a belief that Early Music is not only an important part of our heritage but also a vibrant and evolving part of cultural life today.
Our Founder
Tina Vadaneaux created Continuo Foundation in 2020, in response to the challenges of the pandemic for early music artists. Her aim has always been clear and generous: to help the UK’s Early Music sector to survive, flourish and reach wider audiences. Her journey to arts leadership has been unusual and inspiring, spanning corporate finance on Wall Street and in the City of London, postgraduate study in English and Art History at King’s College London, and senior roles in music and audience development. Before founding Continuo, Tina worked with the European Union Youth Orchestra and later led audience engagement for The Mozartists. She brought that breadth of experience, together with strategic insight and a deep commitment to the arts, to build Continuo Foundation into a vital source of support for Early Music across the UK.
“These musicians are the guardians of almost 1,000 years of our music heritage.” — Tina Vadaneaux, Founder of Continuo Foundation and Continuo Connect
Tina’s vision for Continuo Connect is rooted in support and discovery. She displays a profound admiration for the artists who research, perform and renew this repertoire. As Tina has said, this means bringing the work of musicians ‘out from under the radar and opening up the fascinating world of Early Music for everyone, from complete newcomers to experts.’
Our Team
Emrah Tokalac
Director
Emrah is an arts management professional with a background in marketing, communications, and advertising. He previously worked at Kings Place and Welsh National Opera, and holds a PhD in Musicology and a BA in Management. At Continuo Connect, Emrah oversees the platform’s strategic direction, partnerships, and content production, with a focus on audience development and building relationships with stakeholders in the Early Music sector.
Sam Pearce
Digital Marketing & Communications Manager
Formerly a professional French Horn player, Sam is as passionate about music in all its forms as he is shouting about it from the rooftops! A digital marketing and community specialist, he is the man behind Continuo Connect's social media accounts, plus his analytical insights help shape the future of our online platform. His goal is to make Continuo Connect the perfect tool for British concertgoers to indulge in their love of historically inspired music.
Daphne Delfas
Content Creator
Daphne is a conductor and violinist who recently graduated from Cambridge University with a Bachelor’s degree in Music. She is the author of the twice-monthly Continuo Connect newsletter and enjoys curating the monthly playlist, helping audiences to discover the full range of music on offer under the banner of 'historical performance'. Daphne is also responsible for assisting artists and festivals using the Continuo Connect platform with their profiles and listings. Daphne has a keen interest in early music, having performed in several historical performance projects in Cambridge playing the violin and viola.
Simon Mundy
Writer-in-Residence
Simon is Adviser to the European Festivals Association and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. He has written six books of poetry, several biographies of composers, artists and musicians and a handful of novels. He is an experienced broadcaster and festival director and was a founder and first President of the European Forum for the Arts and Heritage (now Culture Action Europe). He has also worked on cultural policy with the Council of Europe, UNESCO and King's College London. He has been writing on classical music and the arts for most of Britain's newspapers and arts magazines since 1977.
Ashutosh Khandekar
PR & Editorial Consultant
Ash was born in India and raised in the United Kingdom. He graduated with a degree in English Literature from Oxford University, where he was a tenor choral scholar at New College. He went on to train as a journalist on the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, becoming the Sunday edition’s deputy arts editor and chief music critic. He went on to work as an editor, music journalist and arts consultant with a wide range of music publications and cultural organisations in Hong Kong, India and the UK, including managing editor of Classical Music and Early Music Today, and a 25-year stint as Editor-in-Chief of Opera Now magazine. He is currently a director of C Sharp Media.
T5 Digital
Technology Partner
T5 Digital is a boutique consultancy specialising in software delivery, technical leadership, and managed services. We focus on creating tailored solutions that make life easier for our clients – whether that’s developing new systems, improving existing ones, or helping teams work better together. We’re delighted to partner with Continuo Connect, supporting and managing their platform as an extension of their team to ensure it’s reliable, secure, and ready to grow with their mission.
Connect Advisory Group
Benedict Vanderspar
Partner at McKinsey & Co.
Ben is a Partner at McKinsey & Co. and a Trustee of Continuo Foundation. He spends his time building and scaling digital businesses, primarily in media and technology. Ben comes from a family of professional musicians and was a violinist prior to his career in business. He is excited about using the power of technology to help the period performance sector flourish, and to widen access to live music for people in communities across the UK.
Tim Benjamin
Technologist, Writer, and Composer
Tim has 25 years experience as a web technology entrepreneur, along with a lifetime of experience as a composer of classical music and opera. He was the CTO of Continuo Foundation and creator of the current version of the Continuo Connect platform. Prior to this, Tim took part in several successful start-ups and worked for large organisations including Accenture and WPP. Anglo-French by birth and a Londoner by upbringing, he is now an adopted Yorkshireman. He is a graduate of Royal Northern College of Music and Manchester University, and holds a DPhil in Music and Economics from Oxford University.
Gordon Willoughby
NED and Former CEO at WeTransfer
Gordon recently stepped down as CEO at WeTransfer and has over 15 years experience as a senior GM scaling international technology companies, in both public and private situations. During this time he has led businesses that are market leaders across all the main digital business models. He was Chair of the Advisory Board at KPMG Lighthouse (NL) until 2020 and previously a NED at FTSE International and trustee at FSU (now Family Action). He is currently a mentor at the US organisation “unlock her potential”.
Joseph Swanson
Senior Managing Director, Houlihan Lokey, and Angel Investor
Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of Houlihan Lokey’s EMEA Restructuring Group, as well as Co-Head of Asia, Joe currently sits on the firm’s Operating Committee. Joe has more than two decades of investment banking experience, and enjoys investing in technology start-ups. He and his wife, Christine, have been key supporters of Continuo Foundation from the start.
Vincenzo Tuozzo
Business Affairs Manager, Apple
Vincenzo advises on consumer-facing content, IP rights, and the intersection of marketing and technology. With experience in both the finance and film industries, he has successfully managed film acquisitions, distribution and financing. He holds a Master of Law in IP Law and a Bachelor of Science in International Management and Economics. As an active contributor to the field of open innovation through his research, Vincenzo has focussed on the importance of collaboration between startups and larger businesses. He firmly believes that innovative ways and the right incentives will engage new audiences for early music.
Our Latest Grantees
Click below to visit the profile pages of the current round of Continuo Foundation grantees:
Apollo's Cabinet
Baroque In The North
Bloomsbury Players
Early Opera Company
English Haydn Orchestra
Ensemble Hesperi
Figure
Fiori Musicali
Gabrieli
In Echo
Istante Collective
Linarol Consort of Viols
Monteverdi String Band
Nocturnalia Ensemble
Norwich Baroque
Obsidian Baroque
Palisander
Rautio Piano Trio
Republic of Viols
Saraband
Sirinu
Sounds Historical
Spiritato
The Harmonious Society of Tickle-Fiddle Gentlemen
The Kaleidoscope Band
The Morley Consort
The Mozartists
The Royal Sackbut Collective
Vache Baroque
Wessex Baroque Collective
Support Us
Our work is made possible by the generosity of our donors, and your support at any level helps the Continuo Connect team to run the website, create engaging features, and to share curated content and event highlights in our fortnightly newsletter - all made available for free. Continuo Connect contributes to Continuo's mission by:
- helping artists and festivals raise their profiles and fill their concerts
- opening access to early music for audiences across the UK and beyond
- engaging larger, more diverse audiences for early music
- building a community of early music artists, festivals and fans
- facilitating collaboration across the sector
