In a career spanning over 25 years, Sarah Derbyshire's commitment to the power of music to change lives and support communities has remained a guiding principle.
Looking back over the path that brought me to my current role as Chief Executive of Orchestras Live, it appears to follow a logical route, though the progress felt more organic at the time.
I’ve always tried to learn from the highs and lows – and there have been plenty of each – to choose roles that take me in unexpected directions, challenge me in new ways and leave a practical legacy. And that has led me to my current role leading Orchestras Live, aiming to effect positive change in a sector that was never on my aspirational radar.
I never intended to pursue a career in music. Music was a central part of my life, but I’d decided that professional performance was not for me. I never thought, or was encouraged, to look beyond the platform to see the amazing range of people - producers, programmers, technicians, marketers, planners, fundraisers - who forge the connections between performers and public.
York Festival and Mystery Plays (1983 – 4)
That world came to life for me at the quadrennial York Festival and Mystery Plays. The festival encompassed every aspect of classical music from chamber recitals to large-scale concerts in York Minster. What made it unique was the central role of the local community.
The Mystery Plays, performed daily on an outdoor stage in the ruins of St Mary’s Abbey, featured only one professional actor. The myriad cast was drawn from the people of York who immersed themselves in the medieval world of the plays for over a month of intense rehearsal and performances with a professional director.
Yorkshire Arts, Assistant Music Officer (1984 -87)
That sense of community engagement - the excitement of the interplay between professional artists and local people bringing their creativity to bear where they live and work - stayed with me as I moved to the regional office of the Arts Council, as it was then structured.
What a way to learn about a county, its communities and their creative aspirations! In the days before satnav, I drove with a map balanced precariously on the steering wheel through Yorkshire’s industrial heartlands, its moors, dales, coastal resorts, cities and market towns.
I managed the region’s network of choral, orchestral and promoter societies, all run by dedicated volunteers, alongside a scheme dedicated to supporting Yorkshire-based artists. And I took on the management of the regional branch of Live Music Now – founded by the legendary violinist, Yehudi Menuhin, to bring live music into everyday life and support skills development among emerging professional musicians.
On a daily basis I witnessed the power of music to connect with people of all ages and in the most challenging circumstances. At the same time, the barriers that society’s norms create to keep music, especially classical music, as the preserve of the few, became increasingly evident.
Hear and Now, Orchestras Live co-production with Philharmonia Orchestra 2022 © Beth Walsh Photography
Live Music Now – Yorkshire branch (1987 – 2001) and Executive Director (2001 – 2012)
I spread my wings as a freelancer, managing Live Music Now (LMN) alongside other clients in Yorkshire, until I became its UK Executive Director. My perspective shifted from regional delivery to national strategy, made more complex by the branch structure of LMN covering the UK nations as well as English regions.
Shifting from a freelance, solo focus to leading and supporting a team, demanded many new skills. I grew to appreciate the value of teamwork, the bonus element of fun that comes when you share and overcome challenges together, working to individuals’ strengths.
I was thrilled to be awarded an MBE for services to music in 2008, an honour which reflected the achievements of the whole team and a growing network of musicians.
National Children’s Orchestras, Managing Director (2012 – 2014)
But you can get too comfortable. After 10 years in leadership I felt that I, and the organisation, needed to move on. A short period at the National Children’s Orchestras afforded me a fresh insight into the development of school age musicians.
Watching young players blossom under expert tutelage and with the freedom to perform and make friends with fellow musicians, deepened my commitment to making such opportunities accessible to all, whatever their circumstances.
In 2015 I took time out to research and produce a report prompted by those experiences – Musical Routes - examining the early rollout and potential of Music Education Hubs and making recommendations for a more equitable approach to music education.
Orchestras Live, Chief Executive (2016 – present)
My current role has woven so many of these threads together. As a national producer, Orchestras Live creates projects where music and creativity can thrive. Through local and regional partnerships, we seek to break down social, economic and demographic barriers to access and support the development of an orchestral profession that reflects the diversity of today’s society.
We look for new ways to present orchestral music and engage people at its heart, experiencing a thrilling soundworld that has such huge expressive potential. Once again, I’m energised by the power of music, the creative force that comes from bringing professional musicians together with communities, the intangible joy of connection for those who are isolated or vulnerable.
Sarah Derbyshire MBE is Chief Executive of Orchestras Live.
www.orchestraslive.org.uk
@OrchestrasLive | @sarahderbyshire
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