Diversity & Inclusion Panel Talk

Intersectionality in Classical Music

Mon 17 Feb 6.00pm

Smith Square Hall

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Repertoire & Programme highlights: Panellists to include:
Roger Wilson co-founder Black Lives in Music
Esta Rae Events manager & neurodiversity advocate
Gennie Joy Music Education consultant & Sinfonia Smith Square trustee
Benjamin Collyer Sinfonia Smith Square musician
Duration: 1 hour; No interval
Price: Free event

How do factors like race, gender, sexual orientation, and socio-economic background overlap to influence our musical experiences? What does that mean for everyone who interacts with our performances, both on and off the stage? What does a safe and inclusive environment look and feel like for our musicians, our audiences, our community?

It is these questions and more that we explore in this year’s Diversity & Inclusion Panel Talk with Sinfonia Smith Square, with perceptive and engaging insights from leading experts in the industry. This is an open conversation, and a chance to collaborate and think together about the community around us, and the further steps needed in order to support those who have faced multiple barriers to existing in the classical music world.

People can identify as many things at the same time, and face discrimination on multiple fronts. ‘Intersectionality’ refers to the ways in which people can face barriers and discrimination based on multiple identities at the same time including gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability and class.

Black Lives in Music & Attitude is Everything Report: 'Unseen. Unheard. Race and Disability – Black disabled experience in the UK's music industry.'

Roger Wilson

Roger Wilson is co-founder of Black Lives in Music, a charity striving to addresses the current inequality of opportunity for Black, Asian and Ethnically Diverse people aspiring to be artists or professionals in the Jazz and Classical music industry. Roger has many years of experience on both sides of the stage as musician, educator, tour manager and administrator. Conservatoire trained, he has worked extensively in the commercial, jazz and classical sector with a wide range of artists from Lesley Garett and Bryn Terfel to James Brown and Quincey Jones. He has also played in some of London’s most successful music theatre productions. As an instrumental teacher and lecturer, Roger has worked throughout the UK music education sector at all levels. In recent years, he has been dedicated in his support for the professional development of aspiring young jazz musicians.

Esta Rae

Esta is an Events Manager and a neurodiversity advocate with a MA in Music Business Management. She was listed as one of the top 50 neurodivergent women by Women Beyond the Box, and was also part of the 2023 POWER UP cohort for 40 Black industry professionals.

Esta has dyslexia and dyspraxia and was affected by the challenges she faced in the music industry. Along with managing her own freelance event company, No Limit Management, she continues to champion the importance of a neuro-inclusive music industry through educating businesses on neurodiversity.

Esta loves working across live events such as the GRM Daily gala, Aim Awards and has worked on shows with artists such as Stormzy, The Libertines, Lethal B and more.

Gennie Joy

Gennie is a London-based musician and music education consultant, and is a trustee of Sinfonia Smith Square. She has worked in a range of fields across orchestras and chamber ensembles, music theatre and community music as both a performer and educator. Bringing knowledge from over ten years of experience in music education, Gennie has a particular specialism in making music with children in the Early Years and people of all ages with SEND. Gennie is also the co-founder, writer, composer and actor-musician of Merryweather Theatre, London-based arts collective which writes, develops and performs original folk musicals for children at schools, theatres and arts festivals around the UK.

Benjamin Collyer

Ben is a current member of the 2024-25 Sinfonia Smith Square fellowship, and is the first ever organ fellow for the orchestra. He studied music at University of Oxford where he was also the Organ Scholar at Christ Church Cathedral, before studying for a Masters in Performance at the Royal College of Music alongside being the Organ Scholar at St Paul’s Cathedral from 2021-22. Since graduating, Ben has worked as a freelance organist and collaborative pianist in London and has recently been appointed as the Assistant Director of Music at St Michael Cornhill.

Key Points from our EDI Panels

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