YOLANDA BROWN OBE DL
YolanDa Brown OBE DL is a saxophonist, composer, and broadcaster. Her musical sound is a fusion of reggae, jazz and soul. In 2022 she was appointed chair of the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
For some, world-wide touring and critically acclaimed albums would be satisfaction enough. Not for YolanDa Brown, she wears many hats, musician, broadcaster, author, philanthropist and wears them well… with passion and full of vigour.
YolanDa is a double MOBO Award winning artist, her music is a delicious fusion of reggae, jazz and soul. She has toured with The Temptations, Jools Holland’s Rhythm and Blues Orchestra, Billy Ocean and collaborated with artists such as Dave Stewart from Eurythmics, Snarky Puppy’s Bill Laurance, Kelly Jones from Stereophonics and Rick Astley. She is currently composing music for the iconic Sesame Street and an animated series called Bea’s Block, as well as the Netflix Series CocoMelon Lane.
In July 2022, YolanDa was appointed Chair of BPI – the representative voice for record labels in the UK. BPI organises The BRIT Awards, The Mercury Prize and co-owns The Official Charts. The Lord Lieutenant of Greater London appointed YolanDa as a Deputy Lieutenant in October 2022.
A champion for the importance of music education, YolanDa is Chair of Youth Music, sits on the Arts Council National Council, is a trustee of the PRS Foundation, an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust and London Music Fund and sits on the advisory board of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2021, she was invited by the Department of Education to sit on the advisory panel of the National Plan for Music Education. November 2022 saw YolanDa awarded the Music Week – Women in Music “Music Champion Award”.
During the pandemic with Sony Music and Twinkl, YolanDa rolled out her bespoke online music lesson plans for teachers, parents and pupils in primary schools nationwide, an estimated 30 000 children have used the resources. In 2018 along with James JP Drake, she launched the “Drake YolanDa Award” offering grants to emerging musicians between the ages of 16 – 30.
YolanDa graduated with a first class degree in Operations management from the University of Kent, followed by 2 Masters degrees and studied a PhD for four years, before taking a hiatus from her thesis to pursue her music career. She awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts by the University of East London.
She is a broadcaster working across TV and Radio, including her eponymous series for CBeebies, “YolanDa’s Band Jam”, which won the RTSNW award as Best Children’s Programme. For the BBC Proms she hosted the Ella and Dizzy Centenary, as well as Last night of the Proms, Gospel Choir of the Year for BBC One and BBC Young Jazz Musician of the year. Host of the London Philharmonic Orchestra podcast Offstage, YolanDa presents a series talking to a range of musicians within the LPO about their experiences as orchestral musicians.
Over on the airways, she hosts YolanDa Brown on Saturday on Jazz FM, BBC Radio 4’s ‘Loose Ends’ with Clive Anderson and can be heard regularly across BBC Radio 2.
An entrepreneur too, YolanDa launched the “London Saxophone Festival” in 2018, currently in its third edition.
SUZANNE BULL MBE
Suzanne is passionate about music and ensuring that grassroots music communities continue to thrive.
For 25 years, she led Attitude is Everything, a charitable organisation which connects disabled people with the music and live event industries to improve access together. She was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Honours in June 2013 for services to music, arts and disabled people, she was conferred an Honorary Fellowship by Falmouth University in July 2022, and she has won other awards for her work. Now she is a creative consultant, supporting disability diversity in arts and culture, climate sustainability and cancer patient advocacy. As a disabled, working-class woman who lives with a cancer diagnosis, she proves that lived experience is a powerful tool for systemic change.
MAGGIE CROWE OBE
As well as being BPI Director of Events & Charities, Maggie was also voted one of the top 10 influential women in music by BBC’s Power Hour, alongside Beyoncé and Taylor Swift.
Maggie has worked in the industry for over 30 years having worked at the BPI since 1986. She worked her way up and now runs BPI events including the BRIT Awards and Mercury Prize – two of the biggest music events in the world, ensuring her Opening Keynote speech will be truly unmissable.
Maggie’s role as Director of Events and Charities for The BPI (the trade association for the British record industry) is crucial for the School as any funds raised for their annual BRIT Awards show, BRITs Classics and BRITs Icons are donated to the BRIT Trust. The BRIT Trust is the major co-sponsor along with the DfE that built and conceived The BRIT School.
Other achievements include the Music Education Directory and music education work following the formation of The BRIT Trust. With Adrian Carter, Crowe has steered the BRIT Awards since 2005 (almost 20 years). Since 2015, Crowe has also overseen the operational running of The Mercury Prize.
In 2011, Maggie Crowe was honoured and in her words “gob-smacked” to receive an OBE for services to the music industry and charity, presented to her by HM The Queen.
KRIS HALPIN (DISKINETIC)
Kris is a disabled artists performing under the name Dyskinetic. A Venn diagram of a one-man-band, a tech experiment, art project and Disability inclusion strategy – he’s in the middle there.
He’s mostly known for playing the MiMu Gloves, a groundbreaking wearable instrument devised by Grammy Award winning musical genius Imogen Heap. With the support of Drake Music he repurposed this wearable tech to create the context for the world’s first Social Model musical instrument; an instrument that learns and shapes around his physical barriers.
He can’t shape his hand impairments to play the music he imagines on traditional instruments; but with the gloves, even his impaired, dyskinetic hand movements could be meaningful musical choices. He’s taken this work all over the world, performing across Europe, in the US and in Japan. This project has acted as a catalyst for change, amplifying the conversation around music, technology and Disability. Crucially, this conversation has challenged perceptions of what Disabled musicians are capable of.
Working in spaces more aligned with education, science & technology than the music industry, he’s enjoyed an unlikely but incredibly rewarding career so far. He didn’t come here to challenge stereotypes or push boundaries; he had only the simple ambition to share his songs with the world.
Disabling barriers continue to make those traditional routes into the music industry inaccessible to him and others, but have taken him on a magical side quest of radical musical inclusion.
STEPHANIE HARDWICK, FCA
Stephanie is the Founder and Partner and Hardwick and Morris as well as a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
Originally trained with Deloitte & Touche, Stephanie went on to specialise as an accountant within the music industry.
Stephanie has acted for well known bands, artists, their management and companies in the music, creative and media industries for over 21 years. Her industry knowledge has led her to have lectured and written articles about the industry.
EXPERTISE
Music and Entertainments specialist accountant for high profile internationally renowned musicians.
Copyright, international touring and live performance accounting, withholding taxation
Expert witness for matrimonial and family law cases.
PROFESSIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
Founded own accountancy firm in 2003
Fellow of Institute of Chartered Accounts in England & Wales (FCA)
Featured in the Parliamentary Review 2017/2018
Established US firm in 2016, H&M &LL LLC
Recognised in the 2018 Music Business UK Legal & Accountancy 50
AFFILIATIONS
Institute of Chartered Accounts in England & Wales (United Kingdom)
JJ TATTEN
JJ works for the young people of his adopted city, Hull.
His responsibility is to ensure The Warren provides a range of effective services that address the wellbeing and socio-economic needs of young people in the city and beyond, with a particular focus on the most disadvantaged, vulnerable and marginalised.
He does that through their user-led ethos and by embedding a culture of creative innovation and autonomy among both young people and staff that ensures their needs are met and their voices are heard in the most authentic and impactful ways possible.
“Our NPO programme is entirely shaped by marginalised young people and will include new areas of work such as Our Reality – a music project that lyrically and melodically projects the challenges of being young. Themes identified in the project include mental health, identity, neuro-diversity, sexism, lack of opportunity and racism.
“Another project is Unseen – a digital-art project that uses virtual and augmented reality technology, 3-D modelling, gaming design, graphic design software and animation to creatively project the young peoples’ sense of identity and belonging. Then there is Shared, a creative-writing project that expresses their thoughts through poems, short stories and simple written statements to be transformed into performed, published and physical art.
Three Minute Heroes is a campaign from The Warren Youth Project that supports young people to use creative writing and music to talk openly, confidently and safely about what’s on their mind.
The Three Minute Heroes Team works in partnership with schools around Hull and East Yorkshire to help young people express their feelings through creative writings. Those writings/lyrics are then given to bands and solo artists who put them to music and create powerful songs that create an authentic voice for young people. Those songs are then digitally released by Warren Records to provide a creative resource.
Now following a glowing evaluation of Three Minute Heroes by the University of Hull, the project is set to roll out elsewhere in the UK – with Greater Manchester NHS already signed up to deliver Three Minute Heroes in 120 schools.
“It’s about changing the mental health conversation and we think using music is one of the best ways to ensure young people have their voices heard.
SAM THOMPSON
Sam Thompson is a solicitor with over a decade of expertise in professional liability, and commercial disputes. Based in Hull, Sam balances a demanding legal career with a deep passion for music, particularly the independent music scene.
Sam’s personal musical journey began in the classical music world, playing the bassoon at both amateur and professional levels. He has performed with Opera North, the Hull Philharmonic, East Riding Symphonia, and with his first youth orchestra internationally in Portugal. While studying in London, Sam performed with then Great Ormond Street Chamber Orchestra raising funds for the hospital and generally having a great time. This classical foundation, combined with a love for discovering unique sounds, has nurtured his lifelong enthusiasm for music across genres.
A self-professed indie / indie rock music devotee, Sam appreciates the creativity and authenticity that defines independent artists. He is particularly drawn to emerging genres like tech and lo-fi beats, which he often incorporates into his own productivity routines as a busy lawyer and spends time reading around the psychology of music. Hull’s vibrant indie scene has also been a significant influence, fuelling his passion for supporting emerging talent and hidden musical gems.
As a trustee of the Independent Venue Community, Sam brings a fresh perspective to the board. His combination of legal acumen and strategic thinking aligns with his commitment to helping venues thrive and fostering opportunities for artists to shine. With a keen understanding of the challenges and opportunities in the indie music space, Sam aims to strengthen IVC’s governance and contribute to its vision of celebrating creativity and diversity in live music.
Sam views his role as a trustee as the perfect chance to merge his professional skills with his personal passion, championing the next generation of talent while supporting the venues that make it all possible.