Our Story
Shropshire Music Trust strives to bring the best classical, contemporary and world music to communities in Shropshire and to encourage audiences to share in the joy of high-quality, live performances.
The Trust has its roots in the Shrewsbury Music Series, established in 1983 by arts manager Kate Hogwood. Its debut season featured leading artists including The Nash Ensemble, pianist Peter Donohoe, the Wallfisch Weinberg Trio and the Coull Quartet. From the outset, programming combined classical excellence with a broad musical outlook.
The organisation was rebranded as Shropshire Music in 1991 and expanded across the county. Over four decades, the Trust has developed into a major cultural presence, sustained by robust ticket sales, regularly sold-out concerts and much-valued supporters.
Internationally renowned ensembles and soloists in the Shropshire Music Trust lineup have included: Roderick Wililams, Polina Osetinskaya, Acoustic Triangle, Julian Bliss Septet, Benjamin Appl & James Baillieu, Joe Stilgoe, Simon Callaghan, Fenella Humphreys, Evelyn Glennie, Tasmin Little, Nicola Benedetti, Freddy Kempf, Academy of St Martin’s in the Fields, London Mozart Players, English Chamber Orchestra, Academy of Ancient Music and Britten Sinfonia, among others – establishing Shropshire as a destination for world-class live music.
The Trust enjoys strong collaborations with the Carducci String Quartet and Ex Cathedra and is delighted to enjoy the honorary patronage of violinist Zoë Beyers.
The 40th Anniversary gala concert in June 2024 featured young Shropshire musicians Edward Harris Brown (piano) and Una Pavlovic-Alldridge (violin), underlining the Trust’s support of young local performers.
Shropshire Music Trust continues to thrive under Artistic Director John Moore, supported by a committed board of trustees and volunteers.
Where We Are Now
CORE
Shropshire Music Trust continues its mission to bring world-class musicians and ensembles to Shropshire audiences through carefully curated programmes that span chamber music, jazz-influenced projects, choral works and innovative collaborations.
The 2025/2026 season saw internationally acclaimed pianist Polina Osetinskaya bring Bach and Rachmaninov to Shrewsbury’s St Chad’s Church and included a major celebratory concert with Ex Cathedra to mark the 300th anniversary of Shropshire-born music historian Dr Charles Burney. The lineup also featured Meliora Collective, Acoustic Triangle, Apollo Saxophone Quartet, Nikita Lukinov, Budapest Café Orchestra, Carducci String Quartet with baritone Roderick Williams and again with pianist Simon Callaghan.
Whilst the Trust remains committed to its core mission, it is also expanding its work across the county exploring outreach and grassroots collaborative opportunities as described below.
OUTREACH
Shropshire Music Trust’s outreach programme aims to extend the impact of live music beyond the concert hall into schools, community spaces and health and care settings across the county. Through participatory workshops, masterclasses with visiting artists and long-term engagement projects, the Trust connects professional musicians with young people and wider community groups.
A key strand of this work is the Shropshire Music Trust ‘Take it Up!’ programme - an instrumental tuition project in Shropshire schools. The Trust is helping to fill current gaps in music education by funding free music lessons in schools with the greatest need, in partnership with Shropshire Music Service. Children and students also benefit from free tickets at Trust concerts.
Looking ahead, SMT is actively seeking to grow its outreach work further into health and social care settings, recognising the positive impact music can have in these contexts.
Read more on our Outreach page.
COLLABORATE
The Trust is building strong partnerships with local music promoters, venues and organisations to deliver music in rural and town settings, ensuring accessibility across Shropshire’s diverse communities and broadening the traditional audience base for live music.
There are a variety of ways in which we might be able to support your event. If you are interested in collaborating with us, please contact