Alan Davey – Controller, BBC Radio 3

Alan Davey CBE is Controller, BBC Radio 3, BBC Proms and BBC Orchestras and Choirs. He 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.

Nwando Ebizie – multidisciplinary artist

An unclassifiable polymath, British-Nigerian multidisciplinary artist Nwando fabulates speculative fictions and alternate realities at the intersection of live art, experimental music and multi-sensory installation. She proposes new myths, rituals and provocations for perceptual change, radical care and transformation of the self and community, drawing from science fiction, Black Atlantic ritual cultures, biophilia, neuroscience, her own neurodivergency and Nigerian heritage.

Awards include: An Ivor Novello nomination, an Oram Award, and the Steve Reid Innovation award. Her debut album was released in 2022 on Matthew Herbert’s Accidental Records to critical acclaim.

Commissions include compositions for London Sinfonietta, Aurora Orchestra, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, Opera North and Sky Arts.

Her work including live art gigs, sound art installations and curated happenings, has been performanced at Barbican, Southbank Centre, Wellcome Collection, Tempo Festival (Rio de Janeiro), Hepworth Wakefield, Melbourne Science Gallery, Tate Britain, Art/Science Museum, Singapore.

TOKS DADA – Head of Classical Music, Southbank Centre

Toks Dada is a Classical Music Curator, Programmer & Producer, a Fellow of the International Society for the Performing Arts, and Head of Classical Music at Southbank Centre since December 2020. From 2015 to 2020, Toks worked on the classical music programme at Town Hall Symphony Hall, Birmingham, including as Classical Programme Manager. Committed to engaging new audiences with classical music, Toks was the Guest Curator for the 2022 edition of Wonderfeel - the Netherlands' biggest outdoor classical music festival. Toks also previously served as a Board Director at Welsh National Opera from 2017 to 2022, and an Advisor at PRS for Music Foundation from 2016 to 2020.

In 2010 Toks founded the music commissioning and producing company Sinfonia Newydd in Wales, providing a platform for established and emerging professional composers, including as part of cross-artform collaborative projects. Toks has also been a Board Director of Sinfonia Cymru, where he contributed towards the development of Sinfonia Cymru Curate.

As an advocate for change, Toks has championed new approached for the classical music industry including attracting new audiences and engaging young people. Most notably, Toks has presented at the International Society for the Performing Arts Congress, Incorporated Society of Musicians Conference, Association of British Orchestras Conference, and at the European Festivals Association. Toks has also written articles for Classical Music Magazine, and BBC Proms Guide.

Toks holds a Masters in Arts Management and Bachelor of Music degree from the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, and was appointed an Honorary Associate of the College in 2020.

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.