- General enquiries about performances can be made here, or contact a team member below.
- Contact our sister organisation Live Music Now Scotland, for work in Scotland.
- For vacancies, please see our Jobs and Opportunities.
Leadership
Janet Fischer
Executive
Janet Fischer FRSA is an experienced CEO of cultural organisations and is the Hildegard Behrens Foundation Global Humanitarian Entrepreneur of 2019. Prior to joining Live Music Now, she was CEO (maternity) at ACE NPO Poet in the City and CEO of Fulham Opera. She brings to Live Music Now a proven track record in strategic business and cultural change management, fundraising and programme development.
Janet holds an MMus (RNCM) and an MBA, and in addition to her performing work as a soprano, which has included performances in the UK, Europe, Asia and North America and a two-year stint in the West End, Janet is a teacher, producer, and strategy consultant. She founded Proper Arts in 2018 with the aim of effecting lasting social change through exceptional art. She is particularly interested in developing a sustainable and collaborative business model that allows arts organizations to partner with other not-for-profits and private sector companies to deliver projects that bring the best in talent from across industries and the globe towards resolving issues of social engagement, cohesion, and inclusion.
Outside of her professional life Janet is long-time volunteer for Crisis UK, an avid triathlete and in her spare time she is restoring her ex-Royal Navy Minesweeper MV Tongham.
Jennifer Abell
Cymru
Jen Abell brings a decade of experience working for lifesaving and social justice organisations in the third sector across Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland and North West England to Live Music Now.
Jen has proven experience in strategic development, managing change, volunteer and team development, fundraising and in furthering inclusion and equality through her roles as Community Fundraising and Area Manager for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), Peer Support Lead Cymru for National Autistic Society and most recently, as Director of South Riverside Community Development Centre, a central Cardiff charity with three community buildings dedicated to increasing social equality and reducing poverty.
Jen has been part of the arts and cultural life in Wales for over a decade through collaborations with tactile Bosch visual arts collective and through ongoing work with partner and award winning visual artist Geraint Ross Evans.
Jen is a photographer specialising in portrait and documentary work including S4C featured ‘Diff Must be the Place’ lockdown garden photography project, has learnt (and is learning) Welsh as an adult and is a sporadic contributor to local magazines on third sector, social and climate positive practice when she has time to put pen to paper.
Douglas Noble
Music in Health
Since the beginning of 2005 Douglas has been working in the area of arts and participation, with a specialism in music, across the genres including working closely with artists from culturally diverse backgrounds. He had a successful first career was as an asylum and immigration solicitor at leading London rights practice Fisher Meredith. He has been working as a freelance consultant since 2010, before which he was Project Director at Shepway Find Your Talent and Community Projects Manager at Music for Change.
He brings a unique perspective, having worked both inside and outside arts organisations using music and the arts to bring about beneficial change, both at delivery, strategic, development and training levels. This includes working on projects that specifically delivered benefits for the most marginalized in society, supporting those without access to achieve greater inclusion and opportunity including older people. He has strong commitment to participant led practice, which was developed during his work with the Royal Opera House, Thurrock Creative Partnerships Programme where he was an Area Coordinator. In addition he works in the health sector, and is an Associate Consultant with Tonic Consultants www.tonicconsultants.com
He has his own creative practice and projects. In 2006 he co-founded the Whistable Community Samba Band in 2006, and in 2011 jointly set up Wheely Groovy. During 2012 he co-produced the London 2012 Festival Welcome Songs project for Dartington Arts. He works closely with Music in Detention having helped to establish their national model of delivery following the pilot programme in 2005, developing and delivering their artist practice forum, and produced the HLF Cricket Roots project for Music for Change.
Karen Irwin
Music in Education
Karen has been part of the Live Music Now team since 2004, initially setting up and leading the North East Branch. She now has the dual role of Strategic Director (leading the organisation’s work for young people with additional needs) and North West Branch Director. In her strategic role, Karen works closely with the branches to develop projects, residencies and partnerships which increase musical opportunities for children and young people, particularly those with additional learning needs. In 2016 she developed the SEND Inspire training programme which equips LMN musicians with additional skills for this area of work and supports music provision in special schools through training and resources for classroom staff. The best part of her job is working with the LMN musicians, trainers and mentors to deliver music sessions which can have a significant impact on children and young people’s musical, social and personal development.
Prior to working at LMN, Karen led the London Symphony Orchestra’s award winning Discovery Programme for 8 years years, culminating in the development and launch of its prestigious music education centre, LSO St Luke’s. Based in Liverpool, Karen is music graduate of Queens University Belfast and Durham University. She enjoys playing viola in the Liverpool Mozart Orchestra.
Music in Health
Ruth Mulvey
Ruth has spent her career in the arts supporting the delivery of participatory music programmes in a variety of settings including prisons, schools, hospitals and other community settings. Prior to joining Live Music in 2021, Ruth managed Australia’s largest school music education programme for Music Australia. Before that, Ruth worked for leading UK arts organisations such as the Irene Taylor Trust, City of London Sinfonia, and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. Ruth holds a BMus (Hons) from the Royal Academy of Music and a Masters in Culture, Creativity and Entrepreneurship from the University of Leeds.
Rosanna Kwok
Rosanna has a wealth of experience developing engaging and participatory learning programmes in the arts and heritage sectors. She is passionate about nurturing young artists and creating opportunities to engage diverse audiences.
Prior to working at Live Music Now Rosanna was Producer of Adult Learning Programmes at the National Theatre where she was responsible for setting up their programme of theatre making courses, seminars, workshops and rehearsed readings working with leading playwrights, directors, actors and designers. As Arts Commissioning Officer at Brent Council her work involved commissioning public art, providing guidance and support for local artists, fundraising and developing projects such as Brent Poet Laureate. Rosanna has also worked at the British Museum where as Head of Adult Programmes she developed a world-class programme of lectures, seminars, film screenings and performances.
Jack Fearn
Jack is a creative producer and project coordinator for arts and education programmes, with a passion for enabling first experiences of live music and increasing accessibility and inclusivity within the arts. His extensive background encompasses work in schools, higher education institutions, orchestras, and charitable organisations.
After graduating from The University of Manchester, Jack joined the Hallé orchestra’s education department, delivering inspiring projects and performances to thousands of young people and communities across the north of England. Returning to London, he navigated Trinity Laban’s junior music programmes through the challenges of the pandemic, before embarking as Orchestra Manager for Southbank Sinfonia, supporting the professional development of emerging artists.
Jack joins Live Music Now across two roles as the Musicians Coordinator as well as Project Coordinator for the North East, supporting the current musicians and broadening access for performing artists across the country.
Beyond his professional endeavours, Jack can be found playing in big bands, klezmer jams and orchestral performances across the city. Jack also volunteers with CatBytes – an organisation promoting digital inclusion and access to modern technology by teaching digital skills within the community.
Music in Education
Sophie Dunn
Sophie joined Live Music Now in 2017, initially as Project Manager and subsequently Director of the increasingly busy South West branch.
She has worked in music for over 20 years, initially training as a secondary music teacher before going on to run the education departments of two chamber orchestras. At City of London Sinfonia, she worked with the orchestra’s musicians to bring music into nurseries, schools, care homes, hospitals and prisons, and developed an innovative programme of creative training for businesses which was taken on by many public and private sector organisations.
As Creative Learning Director at Britten Sinfonia, Sophie established a programme of outreach activities linked to the orchestra’s eclectic repertoire, and helped to set up the now well-established Britten Sinfonia Academy, a training programme for talented young musicians in the East of England.
Since moving to Devon in 2012, Sophie led parent and toddler singing sessions before taking up her current position with Live Music Now. In her spare time, she is a governor for a federation of rural primary schools, teaches the recorder and enjoys getting out and about in the beautiful Devon countryside.
Laura Beardsmore
Laura joined Live Music Now as Project Coordinator in September 2023 and became Project Manager for Music in Education in September 2024.
Prior to joining Live Music Now, Laura was an instrumental teacher and freelance flautist working throughout London and the South East. Having taught young people of all ages for over 10 years, Laura is passionate about bringing music to young people who might not otherwise get to experience it.
A mostly retired professional flautist, Laura’s work as a freelance musician saw her perform for audiences ranging from Her Majesty the Queen to a TV Christmas ad for a budget supermarket!
Outside of Live Music Now, Laura continues to work as a flute teacher in South London and performs with, amongst others, a specialist low flutes ensemble. In her free time, she enjoys running, cooking and walks with her partner Dave and dog Reggie.
Anna MacGregor
Anna joined Live Music Now in 2019 as Project Manager, developing and overseeing our schools and hospitals projects in the South West. Anna has worked in community arts development for 25 years, developing numerous inclusive projects with a focus on wellbeing, and is also an experienced fundraiser. She initially worked for the Community and Education Department at Sadler’s Wells, managing community festivals and working with the Company of Elders, and then as an Arts Development Officer within local government.
Before joining Live Music Now Anna was Regional Manager for Drake Music, and helped grow the work of the South West branch enabling young people with severe and multiple learning difficulties to participate in music-making, both in school and through a new out of schools programme in partnership with Bristol Beacon.
As well as working for Live Music Now, runs her own business as a Yoga teacher and teacher training. Anna is based in Cheddar, Somerset and enjoys walking in the beautiful Somerset countryside in her spare time.
Cymru
Jennifer Abell
Jen Abell brings a decade of experience working for lifesaving and social justice organisations in the third sector across Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland and North West England to Live Music Now.
Jen has proven experience in strategic development, managing change, volunteer and team development, fundraising and in furthering inclusion and equality through her roles as Community Fundraising and Area Manager for Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), Peer Support Lead Cymru for National Autistic Society and most recently, as Director of South Riverside Community Development Centre, a central Cardiff charity with three community buildings dedicated to increasing social equality and reducing poverty.
Jen has been part of the arts and cultural life in Wales for over a decade through collaborations with tactile Bosch visual arts collective and through ongoing work with partner and award winning visual artist Geraint Ross Evans.
Jen is a photographer specialising in portrait and documentary work including S4C featured ‘Diff Must be the Place’ lockdown garden photography project, has learnt (and is learning) Welsh as an adult and is a sporadic contributor to local magazines on third sector, social and climate positive practice when she has time to put pen to paper.
Lucy Simmonds
Northern Ireland
Karen Irwin
Karen has been part of the Live Music Now team since 2004, initially setting up and leading the North East Branch. She now has the dual role of Strategic Director (leading the organisation’s work for young people with additional needs) and North West Branch Director. In her strategic role, Karen works closely with the branches to develop projects, residencies and partnerships which increase musical opportunities for children and young people, particularly those with additional learning needs. In 2016 she developed the SEND Inspire training programme which equips LMN musicians with additional skills for this area of work and supports music provision in special schools through training and resources for classroom staff. The best part of her job is working with the LMN musicians, trainers and mentors to deliver music sessions which can have a significant impact on children and young people’s musical, social and personal development.
Prior to working at LMN, Karen led the London Symphony Orchestra’s award winning Discovery Programme for 8 years years, culminating in the development and launch of its prestigious music education centre, LSO St Luke’s. Based in Liverpool, Karen is music graduate of Queens University Belfast and Durham University. She enjoys playing viola in the Liverpool Mozart Orchestra.
Margaret Kelly
Margaret has extensive and diverse experience in community performing arts management. In 2013 she helped established Allegri and works as Project Manager for the group which has now grown into an intergenerational, cross-community arts organisation with outreach projects drawing membership from throughout the North West of Ireland. She currently manages a ladies’ choir, a youth choir, a community symphony orchestra (Orchestra NorthWest) and the annual Every Voice Festival which delivers community choir concerts, commissioned works, pop-up performances, sacred music concerts, flash mobs, workshops for adults and children and gala concert performances.
Margaret is also a qualified speech and drama teacher and holds a Licentiate Diploma from the Royal Irish Academy of Music as well as a BAHons in Theatre Studies. She has been educating young people in drama, poetry, music, movement and the elements of good speech since 2004, managing and programming workshops with performing arts content. Margaret also directs and produce a series of showcases bi-annually as well as preparing students for graded examinations.
Until recently Margaret worked with the Hastings Everglades Hotel as Accounts Manager and she is delighted to be joining the Live Music Now team.
Development & Operations
Isabelle Knowles
Isabelle joined Live Music Now as our Community Fundraising Officer in January 2024. This position is funded by the Rank Foundation’s Time to Shine (T2S) programme, which gives successful candidates, known as “T2S leaders”, the opportunity to experience a 12-month paid leadership and development placement in a charity.
While living and studying in Austin, Texas, Isabelle worked as a Community Fundraising and Events coordinator for College Houses, a non-profit org which provides low-cost cooperative housing for low-income students. She moved to Austin following her love for country & folk music, but also discovered there that she wanted to incorporate her passion for live music into her career. She worked for many years in the hospitality and events industry, as a bartender and freelance events coordinator, where she managed a range of community events, like craft beer tastings, community sessions at city farms and virtual climate change symposiums.
Isabelle studied Global Health at Queen Mary University of London, and was born and raised in London. She is very involved in her community and enjoys climbing/bouldering in her free time, as well as living with her 2 very spoiled chocolate labradors and very grumpy ginger cat.
Lis Chirinos
Lis has worked with Live Music Now since 2011. Previously the Director of Operations, and Strategic Communications lead, Lis continues to support the organisation in Special Projects and Advocacy from her home in New York City.
She started her career in the Programming Department of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and the Newark Arts Council where she worked with artists and community members to develop programming that ensured representation and access for Newark residents.
After moving to London, she and her partner founded Red Grasshopper Ltd, an agency specializing in arts research, festival development, and community engagement consultancy, collaborating with charities and local government authorities.
Lis is committed to integrating music into healthcare settings to enhance public health outcomes.
Ella habla español and yn dysgu Cymraeg.
Lisa MacDonald
Lisa joined Live Music Now in July 2023, bringing with her a firm commitment to the power of live music to benefit our health and wellbeing, and create social impact, wherever we are and whatever our circumstances.
By her own admission, Lisa is not a gifted singer or musician, but has always loved being around music. Her decision to leave sleepy Shropshire to become a student in London was more than heavily influenced by the chance to experience the live music she read about every week in NME and Melody Maker.
Despite spending more time in the entertainment office than the law library, Lisa paid just enough attention to her course to duly graduate from King’s College, London with a law degree – and then promptly embarked on a completely different career path in the music business.
After a few years at EMI Music Publishing and Virgin Music Publishing, Lisa moved on to become a TV and radio plugger at Universal labels Mercury Records and Island Records. There followed many years of hard work, ridiculous mileage and amazing times, working with a wide range of high-profile bands and artists.
Trusts & Foundations fundraising is a second career for Lisa, and she is passionate about securing funding to make live music projects happen. Over the last 9 years, she has gained experience of the local, regional and national funding landscapes at organisations including Music in Hospitals & Care and Nordoff & Robbins.
Outside of work, Lisa harbours a love of tennis (watching not playing), Formula 1 (watching not driving) and music (listening not playing). She is also involved with the Irish Setter Rescue & Rehome charity, having a lifelong affection for big red dogs.
Laura Wood
Laura joined the Live Music Now team in January 2023 as the new Project Coordinator: South West and Wales. Originally from Plymouth, Laura is excited to bring her knowledge of both regions to her role, working closely with the South West Branch and the Cardiff Branch to support the management of projects across both countries to achieve this.
A Cardiff University graduate with a BA degree in English Literature, Laura is passionate about developing access into the arts for those eager to establish a creative pathway for themselves in the sector. Always seeking to develop her own knowledge and skills, Laura enjoys engaging with online courses with the University of the Arts London, having completed to date four courses with the university: Art Theory: An Introduction to Art History, Understanding Contemporary Art, Introduction to Modern Art History, and Arts Management.
Outside of work, when Laura isn’t at the gym, she enjoys arts and crafts, playing card and board games, and relaxing with her partner Mike and dog Ziggy. When time allows, Laura also likes to lose herself in one of her many books.
Our Trustees
Chair – Sir Vernon Ellis
Ms Lowri Clement
Ms Colleen Keck
Professor Adam Ockelford
Mr Simon Millward
Ms Lisa Calmiano
Dr Peter Freedman
Our Founders & Patrons
Founder – Yehudi Menuhin, OM, KBE
Founder-President – Sir Ian Stoutzker, CBE
Patron – HM King Charles III
