A Bute Arts Society project is aiming to raise £35,000 to fund a new community ‘Grand Piano’ for the island, to be housed in their main concert base at the Isle of Bute Parish Church and made available to the whole community for performance/rehearsal – especially to School pupils for both practice and national exams.
The capital project is for £35,000 with a target to raise the remaining £30,000 by January 2026.
Yamaha UK Pianos have assisted with a reduced price of £33,750 on their normally £52,000 Concert Grand Piano.
Further support is welcomed from Trusts, Businesses and Private Individuals from within Bute and further afield
The Isle of Bute is classed as an area of multiple deprivation and the society trustees believe that access to the arts is key to a myriad of educational and career opportunities and endeavour to make the arts available to all at modest cost with children attending for free.
Promoting 12 monthly shows, from soloists and ensembles, to opera, choirs, brass bands, jazz groups, traditional folk music, Gaelic groups and theatre and drama, our audience numbers have gone up from as low as 35 to 130 for season concerts, and as high as 250 for gala events.
they bring quality live music and the arts to residents of the island, who would otherwise incur considerable travel and overnight costs, due to restricted ferry timetables.
the new concert venue is the Isle of Bute Parish Church, with their members welcoming the society to add to its existing portfolio of users, with the Kirk session funding changes to the sanctuary to allow performances of all sizes to be housed, including space for the new Piano.
Funding a new grand piano will further increase our audience engagement at concerts and improve the future sustainability of the society and sequentially the church venue.
they plan for digital streaming of concerts to those too ill or infirm to attend using the church streaming service.
The welcoming venue exists, the ambition exists and concert planning is now in the works for spring 2027, with many performances requiring a quality piano. The society’s currently loaned piano from 2015, returns to the restored multi-purpose Rothesay Pavilion in 2026.
The society is full of ambition, with concerts doubling and audiences trebling since Lockdown.
They are supported by 18 island businesses and sponsored by Bute Island Foods, the island charity, For Bute, the Rothesay Common Good Fund, along with statutory funding from Chamber Music Scotland through Creative Scotland.
Larger activities are supported by both trust support and local sponsorship.
To ensure financial security, the group has an ever increasing group of active trustees, patrons, friends and season-ticket holders.
