Edward Elgar Charity
The Elgar Foundation is a registered charity with the primary aim of preserving the Elgar’s Birthplace Museum at Lower Broadheath, Worcester, and the memorabilia and artifacts housed within. In addition to the preservation and maintenance of the buildings, gardens and contents the Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that the life and works of England’s famous composer Sir Edward Elgar are kept alive for future generations to enjoy. It is also actively working towards retrieving any as yet uncollected memorabilia. The Visitor’s Center at the Museum contains not only materials known to have belonged to the composer, but also information about his work and life.
In addition to preserving his birthplace the Foundation is proactively promoting the education of children and young people in his works so that they can appreciate the life and music of Edward Elgar. It is the hope that as more people become familiar with the interesting life Elgar led, his struggles to become recognized as an extraordinarily skilled musician, conductor and composer, that they will join others in ensuring that this integral part of England’s musical history is preserved. The charity assists children and young people with education and training, as well as any members of the general public seeking to further their knowledge, and has a strong interest in fostering learning about the Arts, culture, heritage and sciences. The charity operates throughout England and Wales, and provides venues and some financing to further the ongoing appreciation for England’s greatest composer’s musical compositions.
One of the more prominent entities dedicated to keeping the music and life story of Sir Edward Elgar alive is the Elgar Society. It was founded in 1951 and is now the largest society devoted to just one composer. The aim of the society is to foster the playing of Elgar’s music; not just his more well-known and recognized works but his lesser known ones too. Interested parties can become members of the society through attending a meeting of the society or by visiting the Elgar’s Birthplace Museum. Membership provides updates that advise when and where Elgar’s music is to be performed in the near future, as well as receipt of the society’s publication which is published regularly. In the publication members will find such pleasing rarities as photographs that have not been previously published, articles about not just Elgar’s music but also about his life, along with a list of upcoming venues and times when his music will be performed.
Such is the appreciation for the works of Elgar that in addition to various organizations within his country of birth preserving his works and memory, but the American Elgar Foundation is also dedicated to the great composer and is responsible for administering the "International Elgar Proliferation Award", which is awarded to those international scholars and artists who write about, perform and advocate the life and works of Elgar outside of the UK. The Foundation hosts an annual fundraising event at which the award is given. The American Elgar Foundation also maintains a Facebook page where interested parties can view articles, posts and news about the composer and his works.
