“It is important to

remain focussed on
what we are about.
Listening to the
orchestra in all its
guises helps you do
that.”
Bob Riley, General Manager

Manchester Camerata
Mission Models Money exemplar case study
The Mission Models Money exemplar case studies

The largest strand of MMM’s third phase has been a relationship with seven diverse arts and
cultural organisations, all of whom have been exemplars of radical change and new working
practice. Each in very different ways have seized the opportunity to respond to change and
complexity in their contemporary operating environment by refocusing and/or refreshing their
missions, exploring how they might develop their business model and reconsidering how they
might strengthen their financial capacity. These case studies explore each exemplar’s journey
during their year-long involvement with MMM from Spring 2006 to Spring 2007.

Manchester Camerata and the other exemplar projects are involved in activities that will continue
to develop well past their involvement with MMM. In working with the exemplars, MMM did not
set out to monitor and evaluate the projects in a restrictive fashion. Instead, a support structure
and evaluation methodology was developed that framed them as colleagues on the front-line,
laboratories for learning and for testing new ideas. With these principles in mind, each exemplar
enjoyed a range of interactions with MMM which included on an individual level – interviews,
bespoke support, and access to the wider MMM programme and on a collective level –
participation in the exemplar learning community developed through a series of checkpoint
meetings and advocacy events.

MMM has used its seven principal issues to form the basis of its enquiries across all its activities
in each of its seven programme strands (see www.missionmodelsmoney.org.uk for full details).
The twp which are most addressed by this case study are:

• Developing strategic alliances

• Developing new markets, building engagement and participation

The structure of this case study

This MMM exemplar case study uses the frameworks of the classic mythical story structure of the
hero’s journey to tell Manchester Camerata’s story:

The hero’s journey

The hero’s journey is a phrase based upon ideas from the comparative mythologist Joseph
Campbell. It is a metaphor for transformation. Taking the models outlined in Campbell’s Hero
with a Thousand Faces (1946) as the archetype, the basic cycle of transformation is represented
as:

The call to action The trials Wise advisors The prizes The return

From the initial call to action that embarks us on the journey of the project to the return to our
communities at the completion of the MMM process, this is a familiar yet effective narrative
structure that provides a powerful container for the exemplar’s stories. It should however
always be remembered that these are rarely linear journeys but are instead cycles of experience
and of learning

Manchester Camerata: MMM exemplar case study 2

New partnership provides a strong platform

In this exemplar case study, MMM follows the story as Manchester Camerata prepares to move
into the Royal Northern College of Music’s (RNCM) newly developed Oxford Road wing in June
2007 as one of its professional partners. This collaboration between one of the country’s leading
orchestras and a conservatoire will be the first of its kind in the UK.

Recognising that it is fundamental for arts and cultural organisations to evolve in order to break
new ground within their respective sectors, Manchester Camerata seized upon the opportunity
that the RNCM’s invitation afforded them. With their current administrative facilities not fit-for-
purpose, this new relationship with the RNCM will allow Camerata to have rehearsal, workshop
and management space all in one place, therefore providing them with the foundation to deliver
their existing mission and grow their ambition.

What you should know about Manchester Camerata before reading on…

• Camerata aims to contribute to, and develop, lifelong learning through knowledge,
understanding and enjoyment of music for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.
At the heart of the organisation is an orchestra of the very highest calibre.
• The overall organisation is made up of 34 freelance musicians, 9 board members and a
management team of 9 including full-time artistic planning, fundraising, education and
marketing & communications posts.
• As well as being resident at Bridgewater Hall and holding a concert series at the RNCM
already, Camerata enjoys residencies in Crewe, Colne, Stafford and Ulverston.
• Alongside its live performance, Camerata is home to a pioneering and award winning
education programme which have included partnerships with Air Products, AstraZeneca
and the Britannia Building Society Foundation.
• Camerata was part of Arts Council England’s Recovery programme in 2002.
• In 2007, Camerata’s turnover will exceed £1M for the first time in its history
• Manchester Camerata’s Chairman is Joanna Hartley and their General Manager is Bob
Riley, who has been in post since early 2006.

www.manchestercamerata.com

www.missionmodelsmoney.org.uk
Manchester Camerata: MMM exemplar case study 3
The call to action

.
The call to action The trials Wise advisors The prizes The return

What is it that makes us want to embark on our journeys of change and of transformation? Are
we forced to by circumstance, invited by those around us or do we just have a feeling that
evolution and innovation is the only road possible to take?

IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS, WE HAVE SEEN SOME FANTASTIC ARTISTIC

ACHIEVEMENTS. AT THIS ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL POINT, WE MUST REFLECT THE
QUALITY OF OUR ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT IN THE ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH WE WORK.

Dougie Boyd, Music Director

Camerata’s last business plan had included an action to find an administrative and rehearsal
space that better reflected the quality and excellence of the artistic product the orchestra was
producing; thereby providing a more appropriate physical environment from which to support the
ambition and growth of the organisation. Managing a leading orchestra from inadequate and
substandard offices and rehearsing in a variety of poor quality spaces is tricky enough, but when
the ambition is to grow and evolve the whole organisation it starts to be impossible.

When the Royal Northern College of Music was awarded the status of a Center for Excellence in
Teaching and Learning, part of the associated funding went towards the development of a new
wing on Oxford Road in the heart of Manchester’s thriving university area. Recognising that this
was an opportunity to develop new exciting partnerships with the wider music scene, the RNCM
invited Manchester Camerata to take up residency as a professional partner in the new state of

Manchester Camerata: MMM exemplar case study 4

the art premises. This is a relationship which has a rich history, with Camerata having
performed concert series at the RNCM since its opening in 1973.

“WITH THIS COLLABORATION, WE SHALL BE CREATING A UNIQUE

OPPORTUNITY TO ENHANCE OUR ARTISTIC, EDUCATIONAL AND
PROFESSIONAL LINKS, THUS BRINGING ENORMOUS BENEFIT TO THE
CULTURAL LIFE OF THE CITY AND THE REGION”.

Professor Edward Gregson, Principal, RNCM

The trials

The call to action The trials Wise advisors The prizes The return

As with all major change projects, Camerata faces challenges both within the organisation and
with their partners. As with all elements of this case study, each of these challenges are not
presented merely as a one-way story. Instead they should be read as a dialogue, or even as an
interview.

Have you encountered similar situations in your work and what was your response? What can
you learn from Camerata’s experience so that you are better equipped both as an individual and
as part of whatever network or organisation you find yourself in? How would you overcome such
challenges? What are your trials?

Learning from different cultures. While both Manchester Camerata and RNCM exist to pursue
artistic and learning excellence in classical music, encountering the cultural differences between
the two has provided a great source of learning. A higher education institution and an orchestra
are necessarily structured in different ways due to their respective sizes, priorities and
programmes. This experience has therefore helped Camerata understand the context and
cultural practices of the RNCM in a much deeper way.

One early learning was that face to face communication was vital to building common
understanding with partners “It is amazing to realise that words that you use routinely in your
own organisation can have a slightly different meaning in another organisation” says Bob Riley.
“Sitting down with each other and having a proper face to face conversation about issues is
critical to identifying potential challenges honestly and openly and developing shared
understanding. You also need to be aware that working with bigger organisations means that
your communication strategy as you go in to the relationship needs to reach across the
organisation.

These differences were first made evident when agreeing a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) where it became apparent that a common language was required to establish shared
expectations and objectives. In a negotiation process which took two months from inception to
sign-off, the MOU was a pivotal point which encapsulated the spirit of the partnership. The most

Manchester Camerata: MMM exemplar case study 5

important lesson from the MOU exercise was to recognise that the MOU would be a working and
evolving document.

Camerata and the RNCM’s solution to the overall challenge of communication was the successful
formation of a joint working group which had a number of smaller sub-groups focusing on more
specific issues. This style of working proved to be effective in the development of understanding
between the two teams of each others planning cycles and timetabling practices.

Having established the MOU and the joint working group, the partnership required a more public
demonstration. This was achieved in November 2006 when Camerata under Sir Colin Davis
staged Mozart’s Requiem working with the RNCM chorus - the most important artistic output to
date during their involvement with MMM.

From their experiences of partnership working, Camerata has identified the following three
factors as critical to success:

• commitment from both partners to create joint objectives and realistic expectations
• clear articulation of what the partnership means and how it manifests itself
• equal input from both partners

Building the capacities of both board and executive. The role of Trustees during major
change projects is a very significant one. With a dynamic management team working a full
capacity, Camerata experienced major challenges in ensuring that their board’s all round
engagement was at its optimum to support the executive team during the development of the
project. Recognising the need for any organisation to commit to continuous development of its
governance practices as a result of this project, Manchester Camerata has signed up to be part
of the Cultural Leadership Programme’s Governance strand and intends to focus on clarifying the
roles and responsibilities of chair and board – the development of which will help capacity,
identify skills gaps and increase communications across the organisation.

Financial modeling. In the MMM provocation paper Mission Unaccomplished (2006), Sara
Robinson and Teo Greenstreet discuss the need for organisations to move learning and
participation to the heart of their missions. Education is core to Camerata’s mission to uplift,
entertain and change lives through music be it through the experience of a traditional audience
member or a seven year old in a workshop. Yet the current financial model is not able to support
the realisation of this adequately for the following reasons.

In the past, learning and participation work has developed reactively to funding streams rather
than being designed to promote mission-led programmes such as concerts. Delivering education
work in this latter context has been hindered by a financial model that historically has not placed
education work within the core budget. Furthermore the fundraised income that supports the
concert programme is brought in on the back of the education work. In common with many arts
and cultural organisations operating with these dynamics, Camerata’s challenge is to develop the
financial modeling in such as way as to ensure that income needed to support core programming
is not dependent on income raised from education work and income assigned to core
programming includes sufficient income for associated education work.

THIS SITUATION IS A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF THE TENSIONS BETWEEN

MISSION, ORGANISATIONAL CAPACITY AND FINANCIAL CAPACITY AND THANKS
TO MMM, THAT IS EXACTLY HOW WE’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT IT.

Bob Riley, General Manager

Manchester Camerata: MMM exemplar case study 6

Wise advisors

The call to action The trials Wise advisors The prizes The return

In the course of the journey of innovation, there are often many people that provide invaluable
guidance and inform our practice.

Sue Royce is an organisational change consultant who had previously been involved with
Camerata through its recovery period and she was engaged again to support the management
team during this project, support which was made possible through MMM’s involvement and
investment.

Simon England is a senior executive at Accenture and sponsor of his company’s involvement in
MMM. Having met the Camerata team at one of the MMM exemplar checkpoint meetings, he
went on to act as an advisor, focusing specifically on the challenges in managing a complex
landscape of stakeholders.

MMM. Camerata found being involved in the MMM process to be invaluable in a variety of ways.
These will be explored in the final section, the return.

The music. As the lead quotation from Bob Riley puts so well on the front of this case study,
the Camerata team draws great strength from the high quality of all the work the orchestra
produces.

The prizes

The call to action The trials Wise advisors The prizes The return

While all these exemplar journeys will not be completed during their involvement with MMM,
there are many prizes which have been collected so far.

The benefits of close partnerships. While it was never the intention to merge the
organisations into each other in any way, through this process Camerata have learnt a great deal
about themselves and the RNCM. It should not be underestimated that in a relationship as
important as this, the fact that the commitment to make this change remains strong is a very
significant achievement. These are two very different cultures and the continuing collaboration
should continue to bring benefits to both parties. The aspiration is also that the partnership will
have a positive effect on the wider classical music scene in the North West and beyond.

Manchester Camerata: MMM exemplar case study 7

Impact on business planning. The conclusion of Manchester Camerata’s involvement with
MMM has coincided with the management’s team latest period of formal business planning. The
MMM process and the thinking that it encouraged is therefore to be reflected in the forthcoming
three year plan.

Open working leads to a richer creative environment. During the production of the
business plan, all parts of the organisation, music director, players, conductors, board and staff,
have been heavily involved. This approach has allowed all members of the team to creatively
contribute to all areas of Camerata activity. Through using the mission-led approach advocated
by MMM, Camerata have been able to interrogate their working methods and the strength and
importance of their various stakeholder relationships. It was also recognised that within an
organisation of their size it is hugely beneficial that information and knowledge is shared openly
and that all staff members are able to think beyond a more traditional siloed way of working.
This allows every member of the team to be empowered to provide input into processes and
ideas, and take responsibilities for their delivery and outcome. This overall approach with its
basis in strong communication has had a positive effect on all three parts of the organisation, the
management team, the musicians and the board.

Stakeholder profiling. Like many similar organisations, Manchester Camerata has to balance
the motivations and demands of a number of partners and stakeholders, all of whom have an
impact on and play a role in Camerata achieving their objectives. In a dedicated session with
Accenture’s Simon England, Camerata’s lead for business development and fundraising, Stephen
Crocker, performed a thorough analysis of each of Camerata’s stakeholders.

Recognising that it is the quality and strength of the relationships between stakeholders and
different parts of the organisation, these were represented in diagrammatical form. The end
result was a map which highlighted areas of both strength and weakness which allowed the team
to focus on who their stakeholders are, the quality, strength and effectiveness and how to
develop them.

Manchester Camerata: MMM exemplar case study 8

The return

The call to action The trials Wise advisors The prizes The return

Now that Camerata have arrived at end of their time with MMM, what have been the benefits,
effects and inspirations of their involvement?

SPENDING TIME WITH THE OTHER EXEMPLARS HELPED US FIND OUT HOW,
EVEN FROM VERY DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE SECTOR, WE ARE ALL FACING THE
SAME PROBLEMS. IF YOU KNOW THAT, YOUR POSITION IS MADE BETTER, IT
REALLY IS. IT FREES YOU UP TO HAVE YOUR MOMENTS OF HOPE.

Bob Riley, General Manager

While it is not straightforward to articulate the many intangible advantages of being involved in
the MMM process, some key benefits were:

• The use of the MMM ‘way of thinking’. Access to such a progressive programme has
allowed Manchester Camerata to consider and address issues of financial and
organisational sustainability in new ways. It has also led to the identification of the
potential for a futures unit or research and development function which focuses on
organisational sustainability issues - something which is lacking within the orchestra
sector.
• Access to the MMM network. Not only has the ability to take part in the exemplar
learning community been of great benefit and support, but access to the wider MMM
associates such as the Action Group and the Accenture personnel has been of significant
help during the current phase of business planning.

Further resources related this story

Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell (1946)

Linking Mission and Money, Nonprofit Finance Fund (2001)
Mission Unaccomplished, Sara Robinson and Teo Greenstreet (MMM provocation paper 2006)
19th Century Artforms at the Dawn of the 21st, Graham Devlin (MMM provocation paper 2005)

Manchester Camerata: MMM exemplar case study 9