NCOGB became an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation in 2023, after a 5 year period of considerable change. NCO consists of 7 symphony orchestras - 3 national & 4 regional, a Horizons outreach programme, plus a large digital programme. We work with 650 children annually aged 8-14, and employ a large freelance team of around 120 music professionals. Working in a joint leadership model with Sophie Lewis (CEO), as Artistic and Educational Director my responsibilities include organisational strategy and development, musical progression in young people and educational staff, curriculum, programming & commissioning, supporting fundraising, marketing/communications and partnerships, recruitment, auditions & moderation. Since 2017, NCOGB has undergone a period of considerable change, leading to a new governance structure and board, a strong vision and strategic plan, a refreshed and ambitious musical curriculum focused on psychological motivators, new high level partnerships, a digital learning platform, social impact evaluation processes & new sources of revenue, including Arts Council England and Garfield Weston Foundation funding.

NCO regularly hosts varied and entertaining child centred music learning webinars, all publicly available on YouTube, featuring amazing celebrity guests from Bill Bailey to Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Wallace and Gromit to the Berlin Philharmonic, Tamsin Greig to Stephen Mangan, Sheku Kanneh-Mason to Jess Gillam.

I have extensive experience of performing, recording, touring, chamber music, knowledge of repertoire and working with remarkable world class conductors, performers and composers. Beyond this my CBSO work has included governance and representative roles, education work, work in hospitals and care settings, mentoring & presenting.

Concert presenter for Season Launches, introductory concerts, and schools, families, early years performances.

The Stringcredibles is an independent string quartet of CBSO musicians, dedicated to exploring the relationship between classical performers & their audiences. Since becoming a charity in 2014, The Stringcredibles has had year on year ACE support, commissioned multiple new works, supported & performed for thousands of young people, partnered with music hubs across the West Midlands & created a new digital learning platform.

I have been the regular schools concert presenter for the Ulster Orchestra since 2016 and have built a very strong and supportive partnership.

Since lockdown and increased online activity, I have delivered 'Public Speaking for Musicians' sessions for: BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, BBC Philharmonic, BBC Singers, Hallé, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia, Ulster Orchestra, Sinfonia Cymru, Musical Orbit, Musicians' Union, Leeds College of Music, Royal Northern College of Music, Trinity Laban.I am a mentor for the ABO's Find Your Way leadership programme and the Benedetti Foundation, have deliver consultancy at the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, and in 2021 ran a series of facilitated conversations with management and musicians at the Royal Northern Sinfonia, Sage Gateshead.

Recent Conference Sessions I have presented include:2022 Association of British Orchestras (ABO): Distributed Leadership2021 Maastricht University - Towards 2040 - Musicians of the Future2020 ABO: “Our Future Musicians” Youth panel presentation2019 Krasnoyarsk Orchestral Conference, Russia, British Council“Performance and connection beyond the concert platform.”2019 Classical:NEXT - Rotterdam “Build an Orchestra what would be the ideal structure?”2018 ABO “The Collaborative Musician - Don't you trust me?”2017 ABO "From Indie to Mainstream"2016 ABO “Musicians as Placemakers”2016 3rd International Multi Orchestra Conference, São Paulo, Brazil, British Council “Who are we playing for?”2016 Classical:NEXT “Are our orchestral musicians “violin operators” or “evangelists for our art”?”