Welcome New Knowledge Quarter Partners

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Seven New Organisations put London’s Growing Knowledge Quarter on a High Note

London’s Knowledge Quarter (KQ) has today been bolstered by the addition of seven new partners with specialities ranging from conservation, music and the arts. The new additions bring the total number of partner organisations involved from 59 to 66 and provides a stronger representation from the area’s growing music cluster.

New partners include:

The KQ is a partnership of academic, cultural, research, scientific and media organisations within a one-mile radius comprising of King’s Cross, Bloomsbury and Euston, who all have within their purpose the creation and dissemination of knowledge.

The KQ’s partners range from internationally significant research institutes to emerging organisations in the creative industries. Partners include the British Museum, the University of the Arts London, Google, Poet in the City, the Digital Catapult, Wellcome Trust, the Guardian and the British Library.

Jodie Eastwood, Project Manager, Knowledge Quarter said:

“We are absolutely delighted to welcome these quite remarkable and diverse organisations as partners in the Knowledge Quarter, solidifying the area’s position as the world’s greatest knowledge cluster.

From the UNESCO-recognised BT Archives which carefully cares for 3.5 kilometres of historic material to the Churches Conservation Trust which has saved over 345 culturally exceptional buildings across the UK, these new partners will increase the potential for new collaborations, partnerships and knowledge exchange within the Knowledge Quarter.

Furthermore, the addition of four new organisations involved in the music sector is representative of the growing importance of the creative cluster within the Knowledge Quarter and the emergence of King’s Cross as a new focal point for London’s music industry.”

Andrew Burke, Chief Executive, London Sinfonietta said:

“Collaboration is at the heart of how the London Sinfonietta makes new music, whether working with composers, across art forms, in schools or with researchers. We are excited to be joining this extraordinary hub of creativity from our administrative headquarters at Kings Place, and look forward to developing ideas, interacting with and contributing to the Knowledge Quarter.”

BT Archives

BT Archives, located in a purpose built repository in Holborn Telephone Exchange since July 1997, documents the leading role that the UK, BT and its predecessors have played in communications technology development, the provision of communications services around the country and across the globe, as well as their profound influence on society and their impact on improving people’s lives. The records, recognised by UNESCO and Arts Council England as having unique significance to the UK’s cultural heritage, comprise of over three and a half kilometres of historic material.

Churches Conservation Trust

The Churches Conservation Trust is the national charity for protecting historic churches at risk. It has saved over 345 buildings which in turn now attract almost 2 million visitors a year. The Churches Conservation Trust estate is the largest single collection of historic churches in the country, featuring treasures ranging from virtually untouched medieval gems in idyllic rural settings, to ornately impressive Victorian masterpieces in busy town centres. In addition, it also protects a small number of inner urban churches with serious repair problems, which need new uses and significant funds to survive.

Help Musicians UK

 Help Musicians UK is the leading charity for professional musicians. Since 1921, it has helped thousands of musicians establish themselves in the music business, get through a serious crisis, cope with long term difficulties and enjoy retirement. It plays a vital role supporting working musicians who are dealing with an illness, injury or accident. The charity gives financial grants to pay for medical treatment, specialist therapies and living costs and provide one-on-one help to those with life-changing situations. They also improve the quality of life for retired musicians by providing regular payments and social visits. It also offers grants and provides opportunities to emerging musicians directly and through partnerships and help with short-term treatment costs for music students experiencing health problems.

London Sinfonietta

The London Sinfonietta’s mission is to place the best contemporary classical music at the heart of today’s culture; engaging and challenging the public through inspiring performances of the highest standard, and taking risks to develop new work and talent. Founded in 1968, the ensemble’s commitment to new music has seen it commission over 350 works, and premiere many hundreds more. Resident at Southbank Centre and Artistic Associates at Kings Place, with a busy touring schedule across the UK and abroad, its core is 18 Principal Players, representing some of the best solo and ensemble musicians in the world.

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

 Player-led and ceaselessly innovative, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, headquartered at Kings Place, is one of the world’s most respected period ensembles. It is a Resident Orchestra at the Southbank Centre and Associate Orchestra at Glyndebourne Festival Opera and tours both nationally and internationally. From 2017/18 onwards, each performance season with be themed around a different aspect of the Age of Enlightenment, creating further links between the music, science and philosophy of the age that made the modern world.

PRS for Music Foundation

 The PRS for Music Foundation aims is to stimulate and support the creation and performance of new music throughout the UK and to ensure that this music is enjoyed by a wide audience. Over the past 15 years it has proved itself as a significant force in supporting pioneering musical activity. Since March 2000 it has supported over 5,200 new music initiatives to the tune of over £22 million. It does this through an open grant schemes which are available to musicians and organisations four times per year and partnership programmes which it leads in response to specific needs and gaps in funding.

The Wiener Library

 The Wiener Library for the Study of the Holocaust and Genocide is one of the world’s leading and most extensive archives on the Holocaust and Nazi era. Formed in 1933, the Library’s unique collection of over one million items includes published and unpublished works, press cuttings, photographs and eyewitness testimony. Its vision is of a continuously developing library, archive and information service for the UK and for the international community, dedicated to supporting research, learning, teaching and advocacy about the Holocaust and genocide, their causes and consequences. The Library provides a resource to oppose antisemitism and other forms of prejudice and intolerance. Its reputation rests on its independence and the scholarly objectivity of its activities and publications.