Caroline Bell: Administrator
With over 40 years of Financial and Administration experience, Caroline looks after our administration and coordinates the activities and planning for Oasis and local events. She also leads our fundraising efforts and is our Treasurer.
Michael Bochmann: Artistic director
Michael is the inspiration behind the festival and its project director. A violinist and educationalist,he has performed worldwide as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral leader. He has broadcast many times for BBC Radio and TV as a soloist and as leader of the Bochmann Quartet, and partnered Yehudi Menuhin and Nigel Kennedy in Bach’s double concerto. He is a professor of violin at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and Director of the English String Orchestra.
Richard Mallett: Tower of London Event Producer
With over 40 years ‘practice’ as a professional arts administrator and producer, Richard has managed many projects in the UK and overseas. His company – Richard Mallett Arts Management – works across diverse artforms including music, dance, music theatre and opera. He specialises in bringing together leading arts providers and practitioners to work with school and community groups in venues from school halls to the Royal Albert Hall. He is delighted to be part of the Tower of London Water City Music Arts Festival.
Water City Music appoints new trustee
This week, Geoff Keeys agreed to be the fourth trustee of Water City Music. Geoff, who has a degree in law and over 30 years of board experience in the oil, engineering and financial services industries, as well as in the public sector, joins Rose Ballantyne, Meriel Barclay and David Brilliant (click throughs please) on the charity board.
“I have always believed that the education of young people should be far more than learning just the three Rs, and Water City Music is totally committed to that,” says Geoff. “The charity has now established some momentum and I am looking forward to helping move it to the next level, in terms of the number of children and schools and cities involved.”
Esther Cavett: Associate Artistic Director
Esther is a Water City Music accompanist and administrator and Senior Research Fellow in Music at King’s College, London. Esther trained and first made her living as a musician and then worked for over two decades in the City, becoming a partner in her law firm. She has now returned to music full time. Her book on the composer Howard Skempton was published in February 2019 by Boydell & Brewer and she was recently awarded an Honorary Fellowship of Trinity Laban for her services to music.
Festival of Arts 2016 confirmed by the Tower of London
Water City Music is thrilled to announce that the 4th annual Water City Festival of the Arts will take place from June 11th – 18th 2016, in the historic grounds of the Tower of London. This year’s theme is the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations.
The festival will be bigger and better than ever, with over 2,000 children from inner-city schools performing in choirs, ukulele orchestras, samba and jazz bands and string ensembles over eight days.
‘Historic Royal Palaces is delighted to be hosting the Water City Festival at the Tower of London again this year,” says Lucie Parkes, Learning and Engagement Manager of Historic Royal Palaces.
“We look forward to welcoming young people from across East London and beyond, to perform music and join us in celebrating the Queen’s 90th birthday’.
Rose Ballantyne
Rose originally trained and worked as a maths teacher and only discovered her true calling in life on returning to work after taking a 15-year career break to raise her three children. In 2006, Rose joined Blackheath Halls to run the community engagement programme, which involves over 2,000 participants a year of all ages, abilities and backgrounds in music-making. Rose passionately believes in the ability of music to build communities and change lives.
Meriel Barclay
Meriel spent much of her career as a Director of Corporate Services for charities and professional firms in London. She is a (now retired) qualified accountant and brings experience of dealing with finance, HR, organisational change, charity management and governance to Water City Music. As an experienced orchestral harpist, she is heavily involved in music and musical performance.
Geoffrey Keeys
Geoff has a degree in law and over 30 years of board experience in the oil, engineering and financial services industries, as well as in the public sector. He was director of Group Business Services for Prudential Corporation plc and a non-executive director of Her Majesty’s Prison Service when he started Strategic Thinking Group (www.strategicthinker.com) in the 1990s. He is a director of ISL Recruitment and a member of the Gloucestershire Advisory Board of Fredericks Foundation.