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
Tim Benjamin
Chief Technology Officer
Tim has 25 years experience as a tech entrepreneur, along with a lifetime of experience as a composer of classical music and opera. He has taken part in several successful start-ups and worked at a senior level for large organisations including Accenture and WPP. He is a member of the Jury of the George Enescu International Competition. A passionate believer in the arts of communication and the power of storytelling to transform lives and shift opinion, he frequently speaks and writes on many subjects. Anglo-French by birth and a Londoner by upbringing, he is now an adopted Yorkshireman. He is a graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music and Manchester University, and also holds a DPhil in Music and Economics from Oxford University.
Kirsten Fehring
Community Relations
Kirsten is a strategist, dramaturgist and producer based in the UK. She has worked within the classical music scene since her first job in the Sponsorship department of a Swiss bank, happily supporting festivals, ensembles and artists and making things happen. Developing creative strategies and an interdisciplinary approach are her trademark. She studied Literature (with an emphasis on music!) and Economics for a Masters degree. Her PhD thesis focused on Arts Sponsorship. She sings in chamber choirs and played the oboe in another life.
Hannah McCreadie
Digital Marketing Manager
Hannah is a digital marketing specialist with over two decades in retail and a design degree from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art. Her journey has evolved from physical product development to digital product strategies and marketing. Brought up in Scotland but a long-time Londoner, Hannah has always had a deep passion for the arts, nurtured by her childhood experiences playing the cello in orchestras and ensembles. Her transition from the commercial world to the arts is fuelled by a strong belief in the transformative power of music and technology, and the desire to support and amplify a thriving community.
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.
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 has wife, Christine, have been key supporters of Continuo Foundation from the start.
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.
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.