I'm not "anti what happens at EFDSS" – it's great that they are funding singers and musicians at all. I'm not a member, but I probably should join. As I go to a fair few events at Cecil Sharp House, I suppose I've always felt like I was financially supporting what they do.

Not having seen all the applications, perhaps they have indeed selected the most interesting, coherent, most convincing proposals they were sent. I just think that some of the proposals are a bit cynical, frankly. Almost like the EFDSS is being taken advantage of here. Just seems like the bar is fairly low in terms of level of ideas, of ambition. You mentioned Laura Smyth, Vic – she's a good example of someone who I'm confident could have come up with a more interesting research/performance idea than most of those picked, but presumably as an employee she's not entitled to apply.