FROM OUR TEAM
MAKING MUSIC PEOPLE Interested in getting involved? Visit makingmusic.org.uk/volunteers
STAFF SPOTLIGHT
BOARD MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
JOHN ROSTRON
ROB GUEST
MANAGER, WALES
TRUSTEE
When did you join Making Music? September 2019
What attracted you to being on the board of Making Music? A passionate advocate of the role of music in community life, I’ve benefited so much from the work and time that so many people have put into music making in my own community. With 15 years of experience in the arts, I felt that being a board member would be a great way to make the most of what I can offer.
What are you most looking forward to doing as Manager in Wales? Raising the profile and understanding of leisure-time music in Wales, in particular with local authorities, policymakers and others who can build a supportive environment to help our members to be able to do what they do. What’s the most important thing you’ve learned in your continuing role as CEO of the Association of Independent Promoters? By bringing promoters together through a network, we’ve been able to make progressive changes which enable them to become more sustainable. And do you know what we’ve found? The more resource they have, the more concerts they put on. Everybody wins. Do you sing or play instruments? I have a guitar I strum occasionally and every time I look at it I think I should either practice regularly or just give it away! I’ll let you know which I choose. I learnt to play drums a few years ago as a challenge to myself for a show at a festival I was running. The whole process, and the performance itself, was one of the most exhilarating and enjoyable things I’ve ever done. If you could invite three people to dinner who would they be? Journalist and presenter Anushka Athana, Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price and historian and author Rutger Bregman. What was the last piece of music you listened to? 2020, the new album by Richard Dawson. 2020 might be his best work. Vivid vignettes of individuals living in Britain right now: the civil servant who doesn’t want to go in to work, someone taking up jogging as they battle anxiety, the oppression of working in a fulfilment centre. They’re wrought out of difficulty and hardships but cast with his wry lyrics and evocative musicianship.
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HIGHNOTES Spring 2020
As well as being an arts administrator and musician, which venues have you worked with? I was manager at Middlesbrough Town Hall and oversaw a major redevelopment there, which was really exciting to be part of. I’ve organised festivals and worked on education projects across the North East, working with Sage Gateshead, Gala Theatre in Durham, Middlesbrough Theatre, as well as on large outdoor events like Durham’s Brass Festival and Middlesbrough Music Live. Do you sing or play instruments? These days, it’s mainly singing, conducting, piano and guitar. I also play the clarinet and saxophone, but haven’t done so seriously for a few years. Now that my son has started clarinet lessons, I’ve got an excuse to dust it off again. Do you belong to or work with any music groups? I’m MD of Sedgefield Lyric Singers, a community choir. I co-lead the Sedgefield Lyrics Youth Choir, and I’m a member of a chamber vocal group called Lirica. We do joint concerts twice a year – a lot of work, but great fun! Who is your favourite musician or composer (past or present) and why? Right now I’m into the choral works of Ola Gjeilo and Morten Lauridsen. I love the harmonies and find the music uplifting to perform. I think their music is really accessible to new and experienced singers, which makes perfect repertoire for my choirs. What’s your favourite piece of music or song? The Snow by Elgar. The Sedgefield Lyric Singers are working on the SATB arrangement to perform this Christmas, and I just find it exhilarating to conduct.
