Sector-wide music industry conference chaired by Jess Gillam at Guildhall School

Guildhall School of Music & Drama is to host the Strengthening Music in Society conference on 16 December to discuss a new report and ‘ask fundamental questions’ about music’s place in society.

Bringing together people from across the sector, the conference is convened in association with Conservatoires UK (CUK), the Association Européenne des Conservatoires, Académies de Musique et Musikhochschulen (AEC) and SEMPRE.

Presented by Jess Gillam, MBE, saxophonist, broadcaster, and Guildhall School alumna, the event will be an opportunity to respond to a recently published AEC report, the culmination of a four-year project on ‘Strengthening Music in Society’.

Jess Gillam said, ‘The past 18 months have been a dark time for the music industry. I am really looking forward to presenting this important event which will bring together people from the UK conservatoires and the music industry to discuss the many challenges that lie ahead as we hopefully start to emerge from the pandemic. 

‘More than ever, we need to work together to be bold, creative and innovative to ensure we move forward - in a world deeply affected by COVID-19 and Brexit - towards inclusivity and openness with a welcoming attitude. Bringing individuals from across the music industry together after so many months of working in isolation offers a first step to collectively start to tackle the big issues we face and to work towards a brighter future for us all.’

Throughout the day, a set of projects or initiatives will be established to be taken forward, based on key issues drawn from the report. 

As well as from UK conservatoires, it is hoped that representatives from the UK classical music industry, the UK music education sector, research organisations and special interest groups will contribute to the event. 

The report was co-written by professor Helena Gaunt, principal of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, and professor Celia Duffy of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. 

Alongside an invited in-person audience, the morning plenary session from 10am-1pm will be available to watch via livestream, with registration required. 

Professor John Sloboda, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and Professor Helena Gaunt said ‘This will be an important opportunity, in what we hope will be the wake of the pandemic, for key representatives from UK conservatoires and the wider music industry to meet in person and work on current and future directions. 

‘Many challenges facing the sector are longstanding, and the last 18 months has increased the urgency to resolve them. We feel privileged to be able to contribute an internationally informed stimulus for the sharpest collaborative thinking and problem-solving that our sector can muster.’

More information can be found here.