Peter Wiegold
Advisory Board
Peter Wiegold has long been a leading innovator on the British music scene, with a history of looking radically at all aspects of the process of music making. In particular, he has been a pioneer of, and leading exponent of bringing together composition, improvisation and conducting.
He has a distinguished record as a conductor of contemporary music, but also often works as a ‘creative director’ working directly with musicians to make new work. He also often directs purely improvised performances, using his own set of signals.
He is the director of the Third Orchestra and Club Inegales.
Supriya Nagarajan
Advisory Board
Supriya Nagarajan, a Bombay born Indian musician, who studied Carnatic Vocal music from the age of five, is the founding member and CEO of Manasamitra, a UK based arts organisation. Her passionate love of music drove her to achieve great things and the desire to help people from all backgrounds to find that passion within themselves.
Kirsty Devaney
Advisory Board
Kirsty Devaney is a Birmingham based composer. She graduated from Birmingham Conservatoire in 2013 with a BMus(Hons) in composition having studied with Joe Cutler, Howard Skempton and Ed Bennett. Kirsty also works as an education consultant with Music Education Solutions delivering CPD to primary and secondary teachers across the UK. She is currently completing her PhD at Birmingham City University investigating the assessment of composing in schools and was recently awarded the prestigious Anna Craft Award for research into ‘Creativity in Education’ from the British Education Research Association.
Ed McKeon
Advisory Board
As founder and Director of Third Ear Music he collaborates with contemporary musicians, composers and artists to produce new work in the borderlands between music and other disciplines, as a creative space that enables different publics to encounter their own and others' imaginations in unexpected forms. He has been a promoter (running Oxford Contemporary Music, producing Spitalfields Festival), funding manager and policy maker (Arts Council of England), strategic development manager (London Sinfonietta), programme director (Society for the Promotion of New Music), artistic director (British [now ‘Ivor Novello’] Composer Awards), and broadcaster (Radio 3's Hear and Now). As well as producing new work, Ed is a Trustee (Hinrichsen Foundation, NMC Records), panellist (ISCM British section, LSO Panufnik Scheme), writer and researcher (AHRC funded PhD on the musicality of curatorial praxis, at Birmingham City University through Midlands 4 Cities DTP).
Cassandra Gurling AKA. Agaama
ADVISORY BOARD
AGAAMA is an artist, composer, vocalist and producer. Fusing experimental pop, with dark ravey beats and jazz-influenced vocals, AGAAMA draws you in with sonic energy that moves fluidly between haunting melodies and electronic instrumentalism. A childhood listening to metal music plays a central role in the production and energy of her music. Recent single Which Way won support from Mary Anne Hobbs at BBC 6Music as well as playlist love at Clash, Dummy & Loud & Quiet. The Guardian and The Observer have also praised the work of AGAAMA and the sonic world they create. She also recently performed their own songs alongside BBC Symphony Orchestra, collaborating with Musical Director Jules Buckley for Inside Classical.
AGAAMA is an Alternative Conservatoire alumni of the first accelerator course of 2024.