ABOUT ADHOC HUMS
 
 
ADHOC HUMANITARIANS ORCHESTRA - Founded 2003


Adhoc Humanitarians Orchestra is an ever-changing collective of pro and amateur musicians who gather when they can to raise money for small-scale international humanitarian charities or specific projects of the major aid agencies.

We only exist to help others but with enjoyment, style, panache, and enthusiastic humility. Our bold ethos is one of joie de vivre, loving the music and inspiring as broad an audience as possible to dig deep in their pockets for those suffering severe deprivation overseas.

We launched in May 2003 fundraising for a community hospital in Bethlehem and two humanitarian support organisations in Palestine and Israel. In September that year we supported vital art and music therapy intervention for institutionalised orphans in Romania. In January 2004, we put on a major concert for Tibet in appropriately sub-zero temperatures, supporting relief work for Yushu flood victims and projects for children either still in Tibet or refugees in India. In October 2009, with our largest orchestra to date, we raised significant funds for an ambulance filled with aid to help medical charities in Gaza. In December 2009, Adhoc Humanitarians Choir enjoyed its first outing raising funds to rebuild homes for traumatised families in Bethlehem. Our latest project is to raise significant funds for flood victims in Pakistan, supporting the vital work of MSF.

We hope you like our good intentions. Join us playing and appreciating music, and helping others less fortunate than ourselves. Come to our concerts and enjoy being part of something very special. Altruism, in tune.


 
 
Adhoc Humanitarians Orchestra covers its costs separately and does not use ticket revenue. Instead, all ticket revenue and related donations go to the chosen charity intact. In addition, the chosen charity does not pay any background costs. Instead they just have to accept the gift of our time and talents, and 100% of the ticket revenue to be channelled directly to the specific projects we want to support. This means the audience and orchestra's altruism goes that much further- all donations go exactly where they are needed, to front-line care.

The musicians, conductors, soloists and everyone else involved in Adhoc Hums are also unique because they participate in each concert for no personal financial or career gain. Every participant gives their time, talents and commitment for free. It is worth bearing in mind the participants don't just roll up and play on the night. Rehearsals, travel, telephone calls, emails, annotating the music, private practice, learning scores, lugging instruments around and in some case, having to transport them miles in hire vans, along with encouraging an audience to turn up are just some of the activities all participants take on to make each concert a rip-roaring success. Other participants, like conductors and soloists, have been learning the scores for months. And the extraordinary back-office team puts in huge numbers of hours and employs all their skills for free to bring you this tremendous website, all our publicity materials, promotional help, hiring music, booking venues, locating unusual instruments, and all the other administrative matters you have to negotiate to bring a concert to life.

You can understand, therefore, that the orchestra's supporters try to show appreciation for all the participants for their generosity. Which translates into free refreshments with teas & coffees during rehearsals, a huge list of thank yous in our printed programmes, and a hearty free post-concert party for the participants to unwind and, inevitably, discuss the next project!