Newsletter May 7, 2020:
It has been going very well collecting funds for the first music project on the website http://hopfigging.fo, managed by Íverksetarahúsið (Entrepreneur House) in Klaksvík. The music project, initiated by composer Elin Brimheim Heinesen, started on Friday, May 1st. By Thursday evening, May 6th, 105% of the requested amount of 60,000 DKK had already been raised.
Thursday evening, 131 people had contributed to the project with amounts ranging from 100 DKK to 5,000 DKK. In total, 62,700 DKK was raised. On average, people contributed 480 DKK each. The goal was to raise at least 60,000 DKK by June 9th. If Elin did not reach the goal by the deadline, all the money would be returned to the contributors. But now, Elin can relax as she can keep the amount raised. There is over a month left, so there is a possibility of more money coming in.
– I really didn’t expect to reach this point so quickly! I feel humble and very grateful for the support, Elin said, overwhelmed by the tremendous support.
Elin sought funding for a performance and recording with a symphony orchestra and choir of a piece that she has written for her father’s poem “Sóleyan”, similar to what she did with the song “Eitt dýpi av dýrari tíð”, which was voted the fourth best song by radio listeners in 2018 in a survey on Kringvarp Føroya (Faroese National Radio & TV), out of the thousands of songs released in the past 50 years.
The first project can set a precedent
– I had no expectations beforehand because no one has tried this before, so it was impossible to know. But we managed to reach the goal long before the deadline, says Elin happily.
Those behind the website http://hopfigging.fo were also eager to see how the funding would go, as it is the first music project on the site.
– I think all musicians in the Faroe Islands have been eager to see the outcome of Elin’s project, as it is the first of its kind and could set a precedent for other similar crowdfunding projects, says Magni Thomsen, who works at the Entrepreneurship House in Klaksvík, which is behind the website hopfigging.fo.
It costs more to record the song.
– 60,000 DKK can go a long way, but it is not enough to both arrange and record the song “Sóleyan,” says Elin.
– Recording a song with a full symphony orchestra costs much more, as everyone involved needs to be paid. I could easily record with an Eastern European symphony orchestra for less than doing it in the Faroe Islands. However, it would have been more enjoyable if this could have been a fully Faroese project where I could have used the Faroe Islands Symphony Orchestra. But then we are talking about much larger amounts.
The time will show how much of the funding will be raised before the deadline.
– The most important thing is still to have enough to arrange for the symphony orchestra and choir. That is the biggest challenge, says Elin.
Elin has spoken with the management of the Faroe Islands Symphony Orchestra. They are excited and have mentioned that if the arrangement of the song is ready for the orchestra, the Faroe Islands Symphony Orchestra will be pleased to perform the song at one of their concerts.
I dared not set the desired amount too high
When asked why she didn’t choose to set the goal higher so there would be enough for everything, Elin responds:
– I dared not set the amount too high because I was afraid it was completely unrealistic to reach the goal. It’s better to set an amount that might be achievable, even if it can’t cover everything. If I secure a significant portion of the funding, there’s still a better chance of getting more financing elsewhere for the rest.
– Should I be lucky enough to receive more funds via hopfigging.fo than the amount I set as a goal, they will naturally go directly to the purpose. The more that comes in, the greater the likelihood that this could become a project involving only Faroese participants, and the more I can do to ensure the outcome is as good as possible – hopefully to the benefit of the entire population of the Faroe Islands for a long time to come, Elin Brimheim Heinesen concludes.
As seen on hopfigging.fo, several of the crowdfunded projects are overfunded, so it is not unrealistic that more funding will come in for the project on hopfigging.fo before the deadline on 9th June.
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Learn more
Here is the direct link to Elin Brimheim Heinesen’s crowdfunding project:
https://www.hopfigging.fo/project/view/57
NOTE! The page is in both Faroese and English. At the top of the page, you can choose which language you prefer.
Here is a 15-second video where Elin explains what it’s all about and asks for a helping hand.
https://player.vimeo.com/video/409760342
And here is a video with everything that it’s all about – Elin Brimheim Heinesen sings and performs the song Sóleyan:
https://youtu.be/YKAUiqQm-i0
Here is Elin Brimheim Heinesen’s website, where you can find more information about Elin and her music:
http://heinesen.fo
Here is the interview with Elin Brimheim Heinesen on Kringvarp Føroya – the Faroese national radio – about the crowdfunding project:
https://kvf.fo/gmf?sid=108286
