The British Benevolent Fund

Would like to thank the concert sponsors for their generosity

www.mahou-sanmiguel.com

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We are honoured to be once more in the superb surrounds of The Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. Since its founding in 1744 the Real Academia has been one of Madrid's most important fine arts museums. Picasso and Dali are former students of this arts academy, housed in the 18th century Goyeneche Palace. The academy's gallery (or Fine Arts Museum) includes works by old masters such as Van Dyck and Rubens, and drawings by Raphael and Titian. Naturally, Spanish art-ists are well represented, with the highlight being magnificent works by El Greco, Velazquez, Murillo, Ribera, and Zurbaran. Goya has an entire room devoted to him (he's one of the academy's former directors), and among several of his noteworthy works are his self-portrait painted in 1815, and “The Mad House”. In total there are more than 1,500 paintings and almost 600 sculptures, ranging from the 15th century all the way to the present. Although not as famous as the Prado, Reina Sofia, or the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, it is considered one of Spain's most important art galleries. One of Madrid’s hidden gems!

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The British Benevolent Fund

Would like to thank the following companies for donating raffle prizes.

British Ambassador to Spain

Simon Manley CMG

This year will be my second year as the Honary President of the British

Benevolent Fund of Madrid and it´s the fourth consecutive year of the

Fundraising Concert. Each year the attendance has grown as the event has

increased in popularity and it is hoped that this year the auditorium will be

full tonight.

The event has attracted sponsorship from Diageo, Mahou, Bodegas Martúe

and Mallorca Catering and we are extremely grateful to them for their sup-

port.

The musicians, all trained at the Royal Academy of Music in London, have given their time in support of the charity, and are with us once more and we are truly pleased to see them again. They are also providing free music workshops to pupils of the British Council School and the choir of Runny-mede College who will perform for us again this year.

The BBF has been providing relief and assistance for almost 90 years to

those British citizens in Spain who have found themselves in difficult cir-

cumstances and who have no other recourse. In many cases the BBF has

been able to offer comfort, hope and assistance in sometimes frightening

and difficult times and they have provided the safety net for some individu-

als with nowhere else to turn.

The process of establishing the BBF as a legal entity in Spain is almost

complete and once complete, it will enable it to build on its valuable work

and further enhance its role within the British community.

My best wishes for a very enjoyable evening.

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Dr. Ben Payne has extensive training in the use of the Ultralign system, and has successfully treated thousands of patients in London. Ultralign apparatus per-

forms a series of gentle percussion pulses for the joints and muscles

Jenny Stafford - Soprano Jenny Stafford was born in Huddersfield and studied at the Royal Academy of Music where she won the Isabel Jay Operatic Prize and Dame Eva Turner Operatic Award. This year Jenny was a semi-finalist in the Kathleen Ferrier Awards, making her debut at the Wigmore Hall. She pre-viously undertook a BMus at King’s College, London, ENO Opera Works and the prestigious Georg Solti Accademia di Bel Canto, participat-ing in masterclasses with Angela Gheorghiu, Richard Bonynge and Dennis O’Neill.

She has also taken part in masterclasses with Edward Gardner, Angelika Kirchschlager, Barba-ra Bonney and Lillian Watson and is now study-ing under Susan Roberts and Jonathan Papp in London.

Jenny has given recitals and concerts in such venues as the Barbican Centre, Southwark Ca-thedral, Huddersfield Town Hall, and for the Spitalfields Music Festival and Chipping Camp-den Music Festival. Solo performances include Handel’s Messiah (Johannesburg Philharmon-ic Orchestra), Brahms’ Requiem, Poulenc’s Gloria, Mendelssohn’s St Paul, Mozart’s Exsul-tate Jubilate, C Minor Mass and Vesperae Solennes de Confessore, Haydn’s Harmoniemesse, Theresienmesse, Missa Sancti Nicolai (Zurich, Switzerland) and Missa in Angustiis, Faure’s Requiem and Monteverdi Vespers 1610.

Jenny has performed the roles of Vitellia (Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito) and Dido (Purcell’s Dido&Aeneas) in Cadogan Hall, Fiordiligi (Mozart’s Così fan tutte), Musetta (Puccini’s La Bohème) and 2nd Woman (Dido&Aeneas) for Silent Opera at The Vaults Festival (Old Vic), First Lady (Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte) for Ryedale Festival Opera, Grimeborn Festival 2013 and Young Opera Venture, Soprano (Handel’s Messiah - staged) and Jenny/Rachel (John Ramster’s Kiss Me, Figaro!) with Merry Opera Company and Savitri (Holst’s Savitri) and Alison (Holst’s Wandering Scholar) at Grimeborn Festival 2011.

Jenny’s studies were kindly supported by the Rhoda Jones Roberts Scholarship and Josephine Baker Trust. For information on future performances, please visit www.jennystafford.com

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The British Benevolent Fund

Would like to thank their Partners for all their support

Martúe tiene un entorno especial sin el cual no habría podido nacer. Este entorno es La Guardia de Toledo siendo un Vino de Pago, V.P. es la máxima califica-ción que contempla la legislación española en materia vitivinícola, por encima de la Denominación de Ori-gen. El concepto de Pago aplicado al vino se refiere a un viñedo situado en un enclave especial, con suelos singulares y un clima privilegiado que imprime al vino unas cualidades únicas.

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Musical Programme

First Half

Choir Avec la garde móntate Bizet Duet Caro elisir, lallarallara.. Donizetti chi e mai quel matto? Esulti pur la barbara Jenny Jewel Song, Faust Gounod Choir Anvil Chorus Pa pa pa, Mozart Magic Flute Ross La fleurs, Carmen Bizet Choir Abends will ich schlafen Humperdinck gehn , Hansel und Gretel Duet Parigi, O cara, La Traviata Verdi Choir Va pensiero, Nabucco Verdi

Second Half Duet/ Libiamo, La Traviatta Verdi Choir Jenny Musetta's Waltz, Puccini La Boheme Ross E lucevan e stelle, Puccini Tosca Duet La ci darem, Don Giovanni Mozart Jenny O mio babbino caro Puccini Ross Ombra mai fu, Xerses Handel Duet Che gelida manina, Puccini La Boheme

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Lieutenant, Master of the Rolls and Skeffington The Earl of Kildare (Irish Premiere), Pierre The Wandering Scholar (Irish Premiere) and Midas Midas. Opera Scenes at the Royal Acade-my include Pong Turandot, Eisenstein Die Fledermaus, Aceste Ascanio in Alba, Scaramuccio Ariadne auf Naxos and Tinca Il Tabarro. Ross was a Young Associate Artist for 2009/10 season with the Opera Theatre Company Dublin.

On the oratorio platform, Ross has performed with some of Ireland’s and the UK’s finest Choral Societies. Works include Britten Saint Nicolas, Dvorák Stabat Mater, Handel’s Mes-siah where he performed in the composers home town of Halle, Germany for the Handel Anniversary Festival, Handel’s, Alexander’s Feast and Coronation Anthems, Haydn Die Jahreszeiten, The Creation and Missa in Tempore Belli, Mendelssohn Elijah and St Paul, Stainer Crucifixion, Mozart’s Vesperae Solemnes de Confessore and Coronation Mass Schu-bert’s Mass in B flat, Jenkins ‘The Armed Man – A Mass for Peace’ , Goodall Eternal Light – A Requiem (Irish Premiere).

His debut Oratorio performance of Haydn’s Creation, at the National Concert Hall with Our Lady’s Choral Society and the RTE Concert Orchestra, received critical acclaim from the Irish Times stating “Tenor Ross Scanlon sang with a commanding lightness and clarity (he’s the most promising young Irish tenor I’ve heard in years)”.

Ross has won numerous prizes for his singing, most notably the Thomas Moore Cup, the Tenor Solo Cup and Gold Medal and the prestigious Count John McCormack Cup and Silver Medal for overall best male singer at the Feis Ceoil, Ireland. Ross has also been the recipient of the Bray Endeavour awards receiving their Culture and Arts Award as well as the recipient of the John McCormack society young artist Bursary.

Recent engagements saw Ross making his debut with the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican Centre, London singing Ravel’s L'enfant et les sortilèges. He also made his debut with the Welsh National Youth Opera singing the role of Hot Biscuit Slim in Britten’s Paul Bunyan.

Ross gratefully acknowledges the sponsorship and support of the Matthew & Sally Ferrey, Irish Arts Council and Wicklow County Council.

Ross Scanlon - Tenor

Hailed by The Irish Times as “… most promising young Irish Tenor heard in years…” 27 year old Tenor Ross Scanlon is in constant demand on the Operatic, Oratorio and Concert platform. Originally from County Wicklow, Ireland, Ross is now living in London and recently grad-uated from the Royal Academy of Music Opera School with singing professor Philip Doghan and Coach Mary Hill. Ross is an alumni of the D.I.T Conservatory of Music and Drama, with a BMus first class honours de-gree and the Michael McNamara Gold Medal for excel-lence in performance.

Opera Roles with numerous Opera Companies include; Male Chorus The Rape of Lucretia, Bookkeeper The Rise and and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, Lurcanio Ariodante, Masino La Vera Costanza, Tamino & Mono-statos Magic Flute, Remendado Carmen, Lord

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Catherine’s Story Destitute and desperate: homeless, in a foreign country and on the run from the British Social Services. That was the plight of myself, my young son and my elderly mother in 2002 when I first heard of the British Benevolent Fund.

My mother, Margaret, was the widow of a Brigadier in REME, who had been awarded the OBE. Dad, an engineer of Swiss-Italian heritage, was working in London when war broke out. He lost no time in joining up to fight for his country. Mum, like most Army wives, loyally sup-ported him and our family throughout his long career around the world. When Dad retired they made their home in the west country.

After Dad died of cancer in 1990, Mum coped valiantly for several years, but, as her health began to fail, she moved to live with my son and me, first in Scotland and later in Oxfordshire. As she got older, she became a little confused, but tests showed that she did not have Alzhei-mer’s. Notwithstanding this, however, her doctors and the health authority, against Mum’s wishes, had her committed to a mental asylum. My brother supported the doctors, but I was clear about what Mum wanted. I was, after all, her daughter. By this time, my step-brother, another REME veteran had passed away and I was Mum’s eldest living child.

Mum was a strong-minded lady and had her own way of fighting back. She went on hunger strike and began to plan her escape with me from Britain. I had worked for some years in Spain and Mum said that she wanted to be there with my son and me. I booked a taxi and Mum walked out of the nursing home to which she had been sent, and we boarded a plane for Madrid.

Within days of arriving, the British police arrived on our tail, determined to force Mum back into care in England, but they retired discomforted . Not to be outdone, the British authorities callously stopped payments of her state retirement pension and her army pension. I had spent my meagre savings in rescuing Mum and caring for her in Madrid. We were destitute and the future looked very bleak.

In desperation, I began to search for help. I approached local Service charities and the Spanish authorities, to no avail. I was unable to work due to my own severe rheumatoid arthritis, and Mum needed me to be with her. My son was badly affected by the trauma which his grand-mother was suffering and also needed my support. I was desperate.

I turned to the internet for help, and, in what seemed to be an answer to prayer, found a contact for the British Benevolent Fund. The BBF helped me to find and pay for a flat for us all to live and enabled me to find work as a language tutor. Our immediate future was secure and Mum’s health began to improve. We were able to live in safely for the rest of Mum’s life and she died in peace after spending her final weeks in a Spanish nursing home overlooking a famous battle-field where British troops had triumphed over the enemy. Quite fitting in the circumstances. After Mum’s death, I was desolated and at a loss to know what to do. My son and I had to de-cide what to do as the economic situation in Spain was, by that time, awful. There was no work for us and, once again, we faced ruin. The BBF offered to help us again. They paid for my med-icines and gave us a loan to help my son and me to return to England. They placed no time lim-its on repayment, and we were able to find a flat and get settled before we needed to repay the loan. We have now done so, and hope that the BBF will be able to use that money to help other families in distress. We are immensely grateful to the BBF for their help and support. Without them, I really don’t know what would have happened to us. I urge everyone who reads this to support them. Catherine Abate September 2015

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BBC Radio 3 & 4, made CD recordings and performed in the UK and abroad in venues such as Westminster Abbey, St.George's Chapel Windsor, York Minster, Christ Church Dublin, St Marks Venice.

Rebecca has performed at numerous venues throughout the UK and Europe, including St.Martins-in-the-Field, The Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Macedonia Opera House & Real Academia de Bellas Artes Madrid. Rebecca has been a member of the Europeran Union Youth Orchestra for two Summer Tours, working most recently with Thomas Søndergård. During this time she performed and broadcast throughout Europe, including Italy, the Nether-lands, Germany & Macedonia.During her studies for an MA in piano accompaniment at the Royal Academy of Music with Michael Dussek and Carole Presland, Rebecca was also a member of the prestigious Academy Song Circle. She achieved a distinction in her LRAM diploma and was a prizewinner in the Rex Stephens Lieder Prize, a finalist in the Richard Lewis Song Competition and was highly commended in both the Major van Someren-Godfrey English Song Prize and the Scott Huxley Piano Accompaniment Competition. She continued as a Junior Fellow Trainee Répétituer the following year and was also successful in gaining a place on the Solti Peretti Repetiteurs' Masterclass Course 2014. Rebecca recently won the Maureen Lehane Accompanist Prize at the Wigmore Hall. As part of her regular duo partner-ship she performed in the final of the Welsh Singers Competition at St.David's Hall Cardiff and at the 2015 Cardiff Singer of the World Competition.

Rebecca read music as Organ Scholar at Lincoln College, Oxford, studying with David Sang-er. As both an organist and choral conductor she has broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 & 4, made CD recordings and performed in the UK and abroad in venues such as Westminster Ab-bey, St.George's Chapel Windsor and St Marks Venice. Rebecca recently completed her stud-ies for an MA in piano accompaniment at the Royal Academy of Music with Michael Dussek and Carole Presland, where she was also a member of the Academy Song Circle. She was a member of the European Union Youth Orchestra, touring under the direction of Thomas Søn-dergård and Gianandrea Noseda. Rebecca has performed at numerous venues throughout the UK and Europe, including St.Martins-in-the-Field, The Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Macedo-nia Opera House, as soloist with the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra in Muscat and also attended the Solti Accademia in Venice where she worked with Richard Bonynge. Rebecca recently won the Maureen Lehane Accompanist Prize at the Wigmore Hall.

Rebecca Taylor - Piano

Born and educated in North Yorkshire, Rebecca made her concerto debut at the age of 17 performing Shosta-kovich's 2nd piano concerto. Under the tuition of Jeremy Young of the RNCM, she was awarded a performance scholarship to the annual Birmingham International Piano Academy in 2005 and the following year she won the Piano Academy's concerto competition, performing Mozart's A major concerto K488 with the Queen's Park Sinfonia. She has also performed Mozart's other A major concerto (K414) and Beethoven's 3rd piano concerto in Oxford. In 2011 she appeared as a soloist with the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra, performing in Muscat un-der the direction of Simon Wright. Rebecca read music as Organ Scholar at Lincoln College, Oxford, studying with David Sanger. As both an organist and choral con-ductor she has broadcast live on

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Our Mission

To grant timely assistance to British citizens primarily in the Comunidad of Madrid and other areas of Spain

through partner organisations

Our Vision

British citizens in Spain in need cared for with benevolence

Our Values

Care, Expediency, Impartiality, Discretion

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The British Benevolent Fund of Madrid (BBF) is one of the oldest English speaking charities in Spain with records da-ting back to at least 1933. It operates with the support of its Honorary President, HM Ambassador to Spain, and HM Consul General. It is run by an independent Chairman and Committee, all of whom know Spain and its people, and are very familiar with the issues British citizens living there face, be they tourists or long term residents. They donate their time and knowledge for free with no remuneration whatsoever.

The BBF works in conjunction with the British Consulates in Spain and other charitable organisations to provide finan-cial support and other assistance to British nationals who find themselves in severe distress in Spain. It matters not whether you live here or are just visiting. The committee, which meets once a month, will consider all cases on their individual merit.

Over the years The British Benevolent Fund has helped people suffering from Alzheimer’s, mental health problems, cancer, learning disabilities, stroke and heart attack victims to name but a few. It has also helped many without any health issues who find themselves isolated and without sup-port owing to circumstances beyond their control. Our main base is in Madrid but assistance is provided to British peo-ple throughout Spain via our partner organisations: The British Consulates and ACASA.