Last week at our final Board meeting of the financial year, we welcomed Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian, SD, and George Hyde as the newest members of our Board of Trustees.
Their diverse expertise—spanning composition, sound design, multimedia arts, equity advocacy, and music law—will strengthen our mission to be the base camp for anyone in the UK who wants to make, experience or support new music and sound to shape the modern world.
Meet our new Trustees
Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian
Cevanne is a multi-media artist, composer, and performer whose work has been described as “wide-ranging, dynamic and utterly unique” (BBC Music Magazine). Her practice of ‘Eye-Music’ — where visual structures create physical parameters for composition — has been developed through residencies at Mahler & LeWitt Studios, the Handel & Hendrix Museum, and 575 Wandsworth Road (National Trust) with the London Symphony Orchestra. This LSO residency was recorded as an album, Welcome Party (NMC Recordings), and features her British Composer Award-winning piece Muted Lines commissioned by saxophonist Trish Clowes.
Cevanne creates for orchestra, choir, band, and electronics—such as the ‘Sonic Bonnet’ midi-controller made by Crewdson, which she played at her BBC Proms debut. She has developed works for theatre, including the Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, and, increasingly, for art installation. Her collaborative work Rites For Crossing Water became an outdoor projection on the Coventry canal, an EP, and an augmented reality book, and was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award. Cevanne is a lecturer at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
“Sound and Music is a national treasure. It’s a gift to composers of all kinds, and to communities discovering their own creativity.
It puts the UK’s new music on the map, and I am happy to contribute as a Trustee.”
— Cevanne
SD
SD is a talented multidisciplinary artist and advocate for underrepresented voices in the arts. She navigates her creativity while living with a disability. Her extensive experience encompasses composition, sound design, songwriting, and music production, focusing on themes of identity, accessibility, and self-preservation.
Active in initiatives that promote equity, SD will share valuable insights on the Sound and Music Board, ensuring that marginalised artists’ stories and talents are recognised. She is dedicated to dismantling barriers in the creative landscape, empowering diverse creators, and striving to foster an environment where every artist can thrive.
“I am incredibly honoured to be part of the Board. My passion for promoting inclusivity, accessibility and equity in the music industry aligns perfectly with Sound and Music’s core principles.
As a multidisciplinary artist, I’m dedicated to amplifying the voices of underrepresented composers and music creators.
The innovative and supportive community that Sound and Music fosters resonates deeply with me. I cannot wait to leverage my experience to help create and shape impactful opportunities, creating a vibrant musical landscape for all.”
— SD
George Hyde
George is an experienced business affairs consultant providing legal, commercial, and strategic advisory services to creators, owners, and users of music in media. When he’s not at his desk, he’s playing the piano or sketching yet another piece of unfinished music.
“I’m delighted to join Sound and Music’s Board of Trustees and support their essential work of empowering the creativity and careers of composers.”
— George
A Welcome from our Chief Executive
“At Sound and Music, we’ve always placed the strengths, needs and voices of artists at the heart of all we do, and that includes representation in our Governance.
Cevanne and Sacha bring deeply felt and wide-ranging experience, expertise, and industry knowledge that will ensure our work remains relevant and responsive to the myriad challenges composers and music creators navigate on an almost daily basis. And in these fast-changing times, George’s unmatched legal expertise in the world of music for media will be a huge asset.
The Board, staff team, and I are delighted to welcome Cevanne, George, and Sacha to our experienced Board of Trustees.”
— Will, Chief Executive
Cevanne, SD and George join us following the induction of our new Chair Ramani Langley, last September.
As we progress into year three of The Trail: Our Strategic Plan 2023-28and deepen our commitment to driving equity, originality and discovery in music, our new Trustees will bring invaluable insight and leadership to help shape the future of Sound and Music.
We look forward to working alongside our new Trustees as we continue to advocate for composers and music creators across the UK.
Join us in shaping the future of new music
We are the UK’s charity for new music and sound. Our mission is to be the base camp for anyone in the UK who wants to make, experience or support new music and sound to shape the modern world.
We deliver artist-centred development programmes and essential funding to young, emerging and established artists breaking new ground across music-making in the UK. We lead research, campaigns, networks, archives and collections to further originality, discovery and equity within music.
For over 15 years Sound and Music has worked with thousands of music creators and hundreds of organisations to boost musical creativity, careers, cultures and communities; progressing inclusion and representation within new music in the UK.
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Welcoming Ramani Langley as our new Chair
Greg Davies’s reflections as outgoing Chair
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