Meet the Creative Industries Drop-in: MUSIC

Attendees at our July 2019 Meet the Creative Industries Drop-In Creative Job Studio: MUSIC session to chatted face to face with people working in various areas of the Music industry. Insight was gained from a variety of professionals, talking about their own career journey, learning about the different roles within music charity organisations, the role of the music producer and performer, seeking advice for their own career in Music. 

Marina Elderton is an award-winning composer for film, TV, theatre and media, based in London. Obtaining a MA in Composing for Film & TV at The National Film and Television School, she has scored projects for Film4, Royal Television Society award winning documentaries, and commercially for brands including Lynx, Cadburys and NBA. As an independent musician, her solo project ‘UV’ is supported by the PRS Women Make Music Foundation. She also previously co-founded ethereal-psych duo KULL, electronic duo White Russia (BBC Introducing) and female sound artist collective Erinyes.

Music for Youth is a national youth arts charity working to provide young people aged 21 and under across the UK with free, life-changing performance and progression opportunities, regardless of background or musical style. Established in 1970, our mission is simple: we believe that music, and the chance to participate in high-quality musical activities, should be open to every young person. Music for Youth is about nurturing not only the next generation of musical talent, but the next generation full stop. Whether you're a violinist, or beatboxer, a young person who's never had the chance to experience live music, or the leader of a primary school choir just starting out, we have something for you, or for the young people you work with. We pride ourselves on being open, accessible, and welcoming, so don't be shy.

Sophie Naufal is a London based British Lebanese composer, musician and performer. As a film and theatre composer Sophie blends a vast array of samples from around the world with her own instrumentals creating innovative, textured soundscapes. Most recently she scored Claudia Legge’s Negotiating the Mind, an art piece exploring feelings of anxiety and claustrophobia through an underwater world. As a singer-songwriter she writes wry, dark, and sharply observed narratives of modern life. Her intricate guitar and vocal melodies draw on a wide range of ethnic and historical styles giving her music a timeless quality She frequently performs her music at poetry events around London. Her long awaited debut EP is forthcoming this September 2019.

Mhairi Grant, Own Art and Take It Away at Creative United.  As Strategic Relationship Manager, Mhairi’s responsible for the development of projects and strategic activities to help drive the social aims of Own Art and Take it away. She has a lifelong passion for languages and the arts, having studied French and History at University. She also has an MLitt in Museum and Gallery Studies from the University of St Andrews. Previously, working at the Royal Academy of Arts where she provided support to the Executive Office and before that, she split her time between Paris and Oxford as a Project Coordinator for an international learning and development consultancy. In addition to her work at Creative United, she volunteers at a London museum and can often be found in a gallery or playing the piano or guitar in her spare time.

Ellie Hart is Assistant Producer in Music at the Barbican Guildhall Creative Learning department, responsible for producing community and family stages at large scale festivals including the Walthamstow Garden Party, profiling local and emerging talent in Waltham Forest. As well as Sound Unbound a free classical music festival at the Barbican Centre. Another part of her role is coordinating the London Centre of the National Open Youth Orchestra – the world’s first disabled-led orchestra. Pursuing a career in arts education Ellie trained in Drama, Applied Theatre and Education at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Ellie has worked at Glyndebourne in the Education team coordinating singing and performance opportunities for young people and producing a brand new opera involving a local community chorus and youth orchestra players with the OAE.

Liz Coomb, Head of Programmes, Music for Youth
Liz has worked in music organisations for the past decade, running and delivering creative projects, festivals and large scale participatory events at cultural institutions across the country from Sage Gateshead to the Royal Albert Hall. Since 2014 her work has honed in on music education with children and young people at the award-winning Newham Music Hub developing their portfolio of events, flagship projects and partnership work before joining Music for Youth in 2017 where she leads on developing and delivering MFY’s programmes that reach 60,000 young people across the UK.

Tom Coulson-Smith joined Warner Chappell just over a year ago as A&R Manager. He works alongside artists and songwriters such as Celeste, Winnie Raeder and Lianne La Havas. Before joining Warner Chappell, Tom was at Imagem Music Publishing for 4 years signing and working with writers that include James Earp, Lxury and Lion. Tom grew up playing in DIY bands before becoming a session musician with Brit nominated R’n’B/Pop act Alunageorge, and then slowly making the move over in to publishing

FURTHER READING

Founder of The Creative Society Martin Bright on why The Creative Job Studio was established

The Creative Job Studio is a partnership between The Creative Society and Somerset House.