Not usually regarded as a hotbed of radical change, London’s renowned chamber music venue Wigmore Hall may have started a revolution. At a time when the arts world’s confidence in Arts Council England (ACE) is rock bottom, Wigmore is the first subsidised arts institution to announce it is moving towards renouncing its public funding, throwing off the shackles of ACE nannying and going it alone.
Its boss, John Gilhooly, has launched a “director’s fund” to make the venue ACE-proof. It’s an extraordinary move when you remember that the Arts Council once actually owned Wigmore Hall. With £7 million of private donations already pledged, the aim is to grow the fund to £10 million by 2027 and £20 million by 2034. “We are already 97 per
