Context
The Forge is an intimate music venue with natural acoustics for live musical performances. Based in Camden, this unique family-run venue was designed by Burd Hayward architects and combines a concert hall with a Sicilian restaurant, Caponata, allowing diners in the restaurant to enjoy live classical music. Its vocation is to provide a lively platform for rising and established musicians, to promote artistic excellence and to foster original musical experiences.
Mission and approach
An important part of our brief for The Forge was to raise their profile as an alternative venue for top-quality performers, which is affordable and modern. Our approach was to work creatively with The Forge, and to centre our publicity not only on the venue’s rich musical offer, but also on its uniqueness in terms of architecture, location and management (as a family-run business). In addition, we sought more interactive ways of promoting the artistic opportunities offered by The Forge, using our contacts to arrange key events and creating relationships. We also took an active role in refining and pioneering the venue’s recording project and associated label Forge Records.
Achievements
Press & PR
- Kept concert listings updated on and offline
- Invited critics to concerts at The Forge, securing features in The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph
- Features in high-profile blogs including London Jazz, written by the Daily Telegraph’s jazz critic Sebastian Scotney
- Coverage online for the family-aimed concert series ‘Keys, Cakes and Coffee’ on Mumsnet, Netmums and Workingmums
- Features in design press such as Architects' Journal and Wallpaper magazine
- Managed a large-scale mailout of Forge Records’ first two releases, securing reviews in a variety of media, including Classic FM Magazine
Creating opportunities
- Created links between The Forge and new networking sites such as Dilettante and Bachtrack, and arranged a recording in the venue by the London Sinfonietta for Dilettante’s composer-in-residence podcasts
- Recommended The Forge as a venue for artists to record and film and set up an opportunity for the LSO’s principal 2nd violinist, Tom Norris, to record a short film about his upcoming album release in the venue
- Took an active role in developing Forge Records’ Powerhouse Package, bringing to the project some of the biggest names in the classical music industry including Chris Alder and Classic Sound
- Offered our own services as PR consultants for this project
In 2010 we will continue to work with The Forge and Caponata on the next concert series and upcoming releases on the associated label.