REBECA OMORDIA – PIANIST, FOUNDER OF THE AFRICAN CONCERT SERIES

London based award winning pianist Rebeca Omordia was born in Romania to a Romanian mother and a Nigerian father. A prize winner in international piano competitions including Beethoven Prize and Bela Bartók International Piano Competition, Rebeca Omordia has made a name for herself as a vibrant and exciting virtuoso who is in demand throughout the UK and abroad. She has performed with world-renowned artists including Julian Lloyd Webber, Leon Bosch, Amy Dickson, Raphael Wallfisch, Răzvan Suma, Jiaxin Lloyd Webber and Chineke! Chamber Ensemble.

A pioneer for African classical music, in 2019 Rebeca launched the world's first ever African Concert Series in London, a series of monthly concerts featuring music by African composers.

MIRA CALIX – COMPOSER AND SOUND ARTIST

Mira Calix is an award-winning artist and composer based in the United Kingdom signed with Warp records. Music and sound, which she considers a sculptural material, are at the centre of her practice. Her work explores the manipulation of the material into visible, physical forms through multi-disciplinary installations, sculpture, video and performance works. Calix’s practice is deliberately disjunctive, allowing research, site, and subject to influence a fluid choice of materials and mediums. Calix has been commissioned by and exhibited and performed works in many leading cultural institutions, festivals and ensembles internationally, most recently the Hayward Gallery, Serpentine Galleries, the 1stCoventry Biennial, The Royal Shakespeare Company, UK in China 2015 cultural exchange program, Carriageworks, MONA, Performa, the Barbican, Art Basel, Lincoln Center, Manchester International festival and the London Olympics among others.

ALAN DAVEY CBE – CONTROLLER, BBC RADIO 3, BBC PROMS AND BBC ORCHESTRAS AND CHOIRS

Controller for BBC Radio 3, BBC Proms and BBC Orchestras and Choirs Alan Davey is BBC Sponsor for the East Bank project which will see the BBC’s music studios moving to the new Stratford creative quarter. He is also chair of Trinity Laban Conservatoire for Music and Drama and on the Board of EFDSS (English Folk Dance and Song Society) and a Trustee of Hall for Cornwall. He is also champion for socio economic diversity at the BBC.

Awarded a CBE in February 2015 for services to the arts, Davey was formerly Chief Executive of Arts Council England where he served for 8 years from November 2007. During this time he was chairman of IFACCA - the International Federation of Arts Councils and Cultural Agencies, a founding member of the Cultural Olympiad Board for the London 2012 Olympics, a member of the UK Creative Industries Council and of the Milburn task force on Socio Economic Diversity in the Professions.

He has degrees from the Universities of Birmingham (BA English), Oxford (M Phil English) and London (MA Classics), and was awarded the honorary degrees of Doctor of Letters from the University of Birmingham and Doctor of Art from the University of Teesside.

GABRIEL PROKOFIEV – COMPOSER, NONCLASSICAL FOUNDER AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Gabriel Prokofiev is a composer, producer and DJ, whose music seeks to simultaneously embrace and challenge western classical traditions, often taking influences from other popular styles such as grime, hip hop and electronic music. This can be heard in works like Concerto for Turntables and Orchestra – which premiered at the BBC Proms in 2011 – and Cello Multitracks, which has received over 40 performances worldwide. He has written numerous works for international concert halls, dance companies and opera stages, including commissions for the Seattle Symphony, St Petersburg Philharmonic, Moscow State Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, Rambert Dance, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Alexander Whitley Dance.

NATALIA FRANKLIN PIERCE – NONCLASSICAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Specialising in artist development and producing large-scale new music events, Natalia came to lead the Nonclassical team in August 2019 after managing the LSO’s Panufnik, Soundhub and Jerwood Composer+ Schemes for composers. Previously, she worked as a producer for Multi-Story Orchestra; a project leader for Sound and Music (where she lead composer residency programmes with artists such as Kuljit Bhamra, Wet Sounds, The Riot Ensemble and Red Note Ensemble); and as an artist manager for Emily Hall and Ikon Arts Management.