Scramble for new royal figureheads begins among Britain’s arts organisations

theguardian.com:

The British Open Brass Band Championship, one of more than 50 arts organisations which boasted the Queen as patron, had added reason to mourn her death as musicians from Brighouse & Rastrick raised the challenge shield at Birmingham last weekend. Like many bigger creative institutions, galleries and museums, the brass band contest will now hope to secure a new royal patron.

Stylish images of Diana at the English National Ballet, or of Catherine, the new Princess of Wales, at the National Portrait Gallery, where she became patron in 2012, make the value of a regal connection very clear. Who you get is a competitive issue. The next few weeks will see a quiet scramble to acquire a member of the immediate royal family, rather than a less familiar face.

“Institutions are very keen to secure the right patron,” said Tim Marlow, chief executive of the Design Museum and former artistic director at the Royal Academy of Arts. “It matters hugely and creates many more funding opportunities, both nationally and abroad.”

Despite the Queen handing down several patronages when she reached her 90th birthday, many still need re-allocating. Among other musical groups waiting to hear are the Royal Philharmonic Society, Help Musicians UK, the Royal Schools of Music, Royal College of Organists, Royal Northern College of Music and the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO).

Last Sunday, the LSO’s conductor, Sir Simon Rattle, led a rendition of God Save the King while his Barbican audience stood in silence. With a programme of British music, Rattle offered the season’s opening concert in tribute.

Her late Majesty’s patronage of the orchestra began with her accession to the throne, and a spokesman said that having the sovereign “as a highly esteemed badge of