At her public meeting on 11th March, Bath MP chaired a wide-ranging panel conversation on the
challenges currently facing the music sector, including Brexit,
Covid and lack of inclusion. Wera and her four guest speakers
discussed potential solutions to overcome obstacles.
Music promoter Nod Knowles has been President of Europe Jazz
Network, Head of Music at Scottish Arts Council, and CEO and
Programme Director of Bath Festivals. He said: “I’ve spent the
last 40 years taking British artists abroad and bringing European
artists to this country so that audiences in our city and country
can enjoy the wealth and diversity of music. Post-Brexit, UK
musicians and promoters are weighed down with bureaucracy, having
to do ten times as much paperwork, because each country in Europe
has different regulations on non-European citizens working as
touring musicians.”
Charles Daniels is a tenor singer specialising in early music,
with an international concert, recording and teaching career. He
said: “For classical music, Europe is roughly half the global
market. From 2016, the year of the Brexit referendum to 2019,
when it was clear that the UK was leaving the EU, my European
work suffered an almost ten-fold drop. Luckily I had work in
Canada which took up some of the slack. In the very competitive
field of music, the risk is that European countries overlook UK
talent because of the challenges of cross-border working.”
Kira Thomas is a recorder player, oboist and choral singer who
recently completed her Masters in Music Performance at Bath Spa
University. Kira said: “I’ve been supporting myself as a
restaurant manager while working as a freelance musician. It’s
hard to be as optimistic about the arts right now. I know of
several young musicians like myself who have been struggling with
their mental health as a result of the pandemic.
“A career in music means so much more than investing in a three
year degree. Most of us have been working towards being musicians
since we were young; for example I started playing the recorder
when I was six. So to have it all stop, and for the Government to
suggest that we retrain for another career as it did last year,
has been difficult. We are just as keen to work as everyone
else.”
Simone Homes is General Manager of Bath Philharmonia, our city's
professional orchestra. Her long career in the arts has included
roles at the Holburne Museum and Arts Council England. She said:
“We are in the eye of the storm right now with four major winds
of change blowing: Brexit, Covid, the climate crisis and the
responsibility we have for diversity and inclusion. There has
been a technological revolution over the past year, but
technology still does not allow people to make music collectively
over the web. We need better resourcing to help us do that.”
“As a regional orchestra, our challenge is to remain relevant and
to keep challenging the boundaries and barriers that stand in the
way of diversity and inclusion. One way we do that is through our
Young Carers Programme, which provides this often overlooked
group a pathway into music. We hope to be able to resume this
regional programme in April.”
asked the panelists how she could help support them.
They called on her to advocate for local arts organisations, to
work with other MPs to build a coherent policy to support the UK
cultural sectors to flourish at home and abroad, and to ensure
international diversity and exchange in music education through
improved funding.
The four speakers are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to perform
and put on concerts as soon as it is safe to do so, potentially
in June. As Nod Knowles said: “Rest assured that the music
industry is not giving up. We are determined to make the best of
what we have been given and to help music flourish on both sides
of La Manche.”
concluded: “Long before Brexit and Covid, funding
for the arts had been reduced. As a member of the All Party
Parliamentary Group on Music, I am concerned that music and the
arts will become the preserve of the privileged and wealthy.
Teachers are worried that music is not being given the funding it
should be; many young people cannot afford to hire an instrument.
These are additional challenges for our music sector. I feel so
encouraged by your shared will to overcome all the obstacles we
heard about this evening, and to let the music play!”
