About Continuo Connect
Our mission is to enable high quality early music to flourish in every region of the UK and to ensure that freelance musicians working in the sector thrive, financially and artistically.
Continuo Connect is the not-for-profit digital initiative at the heart of Continuo Foundation. Established in September 2020, Continuo is a UK registered charity dedicated to supporting period instrument musicians and to widening access to live early music for people in communities across the country.
Continuo Connect, born from the insights gleaned through the close relationships we have developed with our grantees, also aims to multiply audience interest and concert attendance across the country and across a more diverse footprint. We believe this is essential to the long-term sustainability of the early music sector, and the next generation of musicians and audiences.
Meet the team
Tina Vadaneaux
Founder and CEO, Continuo Foundation
As Founder of Continuo, Tina brings her vision and strategic thinking to help the UK's early music sector flourish and become more sustainable. She contributes the insights and relationships with ensembles, musicians and audiences gained through running Continuo’s grant-making activity and growing its impact over the last two years. Prior to founding Continuo, Tina had four years of experience engaging new audiences for classical music.
Emrah Tokalac
Director of Audiences
Emrah is a marketing and communications professional with 20 years of experience in the creative and cultural sector. With a background in advertising, he has worked at Kings Place and Welsh National Opera, specialising in audience development and brand strategies for both established and new festivals and concert series. He holds a PhD in Musicology from the University of Nottingham and a BA in Management from Bosphorus University, Istanbul. At Continuo, Emrah leads work on digital communications, audience development, and overall brand strategy.
Daphne Delfas
Communications
Daphne is a conductor and violinist who recently graduated from Cambridge University with a Bachelor’s degree in Music. She is the author of the twice-monthly Continuo Connect newsletter and enjoys curating the monthly playlist, helping audiences to discover the full range of music on offer under the banner of 'historical performance'. Daphne is also responsible for assisting artists and festivals using the Continuo Connect platform with their profiles and listings. Daphne has a keen interest in early music, having performed in several historical performance projects in Cambridge playing the violin and viola.
Simon Mundy
Writer-in-Residence
Simon Mundy is Adviser to the European Festivals Association and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. He has written six books of poetry, several biographies of composers, artists and musicians and a handful of novels. He is an experienced broadcaster and festival director and was a founder and first President of the European Forum for the Arts and Heritage (now Culture Action Europe). He has also worked on cultural policy with the Council of Europe, UNESCO and King's College London. He has been writing on classical music and the arts for most of Britain's newspapers and arts magazines since 1977.
T5 Digital
Technology Partner
T5 Digital is a boutique consultancy specialising in software delivery, technical leadership, and managed services. We focus on creating tailored solutions that make life easier for our clients – whether that’s developing new systems, improving existing ones, or helping teams work better together. We’re delighted to partner with Continuo Connect, supporting and managing their platform as an extension of their team to ensure it’s reliable, secure, and ready to grow with their mission.
Connect Advisory Group
Benedict Vanderspar
Partner at McKinsey & Co.
Ben is a Partner at McKinsey & Co. and a Trustee of Continuo Foundation. He spends his time building and scaling digital businesses, primarily in media and technology. Ben comes from a family of professional musicians and was a violinist prior to his career in business. He is excited about using the power of technology to help the period performance sector flourish, and to widen access to live music for people in communities across the UK.
Tim Benjamin
Technologist, Writer, and Composer
Tim has 25 years experience as a web technology entrepreneur, along with a lifetime of experience as a composer of classical music and opera. He was the CTO of Continuo Foundation and creator of the current version of the Continuo Connect platform. Prior to this, Tim took part in several successful start-ups and worked for large organisations including Accenture and WPP. Anglo-French by birth and a Londoner by upbringing, he is now an adopted Yorkshireman. He is a graduate of Royal Northern College of Music and Manchester University, and holds a DPhil in Music and Economics from Oxford University.
Gordon Willoughby
NED and Former CEO at WeTransfer
Gordon recently stepped down as CEO at WeTransfer and has over 15 years experience as a senior GM scaling international technology companies, in both public and private situations. During this time he has led businesses that are market leaders across all the main digital business models. He was Chair of the Advisory Board at KPMG Lighthouse (NL) until 2020 and previously a NED at FTSE International and trustee at FSU (now Family Action). He is currently a mentor at the US organisation “unlock her potential”.
Jayson Robinson
Founder and Startup Advisor, Product Management Leader
Deloitte Digital consultant turned product manager and trainer. The better part of a decade's experience leading product teams for B2B, B2C, B2B2C and marketplace businesses. As well as being a product leader and consultant, Jayson also trains and mentors product managers through Mind The Product.
Joseph Swanson
Senior Managing Director, Houlihan Lokey, and Angel Investor
Senior Managing Director and Co-Head of Houlihan Lokey’s EMEA Restructuring Group, as well as Co-Head of Asia, Joe currently sits on the firm’s Operating Committee. Joe has more than two decades of investment banking experience, and enjoys investing in technology start-ups. He and his wife, Christine, have been key supporters of Continuo Foundation from the start.
Vincenzo Tuozzo
Business Affairs Manager, Apple
Vincenzo advises on consumer-facing content, IP rights, and the intersection of marketing and technology. With experience in both the finance and film industries, he has successfully managed film acquisitions, distribution and financing. He holds a Master of Law in IP Law and a Bachelor of Science in International Management and Economics. As an active contributor to the field of open innovation through his research, Vincenzo has focussed on the importance of collaboration between startups and larger businesses. He firmly believes that innovative ways and the right incentives will engage new audiences for early music to allow it to thrive.