It is now just three weeks until we arrive in Glasgow for this year's conference, and what a programme we have in store! It really is shaping up to be a truly exciting and stimulating three days of debate. Highlights include a two-part debate on talent and how we best nurture the next generation of musicians; a focused workshop for marketing and development staff on branding and identity with Roger Sametz from the USA; a look at the future of the classical recording industry chaired by Gramophone's James Inverne and much much more. If you haven't booked yet, there is still time, but hotel rooms are going fast! Please visit the website for a full programme and to book your place.

A busy new year for the ABO team saw the final pieces of the jigsaw of conference being put into place, and in addition to this the team has met with the following people on your behalf:

Bob Jones, Classic FM; Migration Advisory Committee; James Inverne, Gramophone; Musicians' Union; Sounds2012 Steering Group; Peter Wyman, PriceWaterhouseCoopers; Jonathan Gruber, Ulysses Arts; iTunes UK; League of American Orchestras; Creative Coalition Campaign.

Mark attended the ISPA conference in New York and Keith attended the RSA/ACE State of the Arts Conference. Fiona attended the Music Education Summit in Birmingham and the El Sistema debate at the Guildhall in London. Keith and Orla spent two days in Glasgow finalising conference arrangements and we have interviewed and appointed our new intern, Jenny McLeod!

We also attended concerts by Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, BCMG and OAE's Night Shift at the Roundhouse.

Dates are currently being set for our Spring series of Specialist Manager Meetings. So far the following dates can be added to your diary:

13 April: Archivists' Meeting, Location tbc.
21 April: Digital Managers' Meeting, LSO Bonhill Street, London
5 May: Finance Managers' Meeting, SOLT / TMA, London
7 May: Marketing Managers, Location tbc.
13 May: Education Managers' Meeting, Location tbc.
18 May: Development & Sponsorship Managers' Meeting, Wigmore Hall, London
26 May: Chamber Orchestra Managers' Meeting, Cadogan Hall, London

As more details are confirmed these will be added to our website events listing. If you would like to attend one of these meetings please log on to the Members Area of the ABO website and then click on Events and book the relevant Specialist Manager Meeting. 

Dates for our range of Brass Tacks training courses will be set soon. Please keep an eye on the Learning Section of our website for forthcoming course dates.

The TMA is delighted to offer ABO members TMA rates for the following courses.

Working Effectively with Creative People
Thursday, 11 February, TMA, London
£130 + VAT: TMA/SOLT/ABO members
£160 + VAT: Non members
By boosting personal confidence, assertiveness and rapport skills this one day seminar will enable you to work more successfully with creative people. The seminar will assist you: in understanding creative personalities; to develop a series of techniques to become highly effective in creative environments; and give you the knowledge and tools to handle challenging situations and develop stronger inter-personal professional relationships.

Managing Conflict with Customers
Wednesday 11 March, TMA, London & Thursday 27 May, TMA Rose Street, London
£80 + VAT: TMA/SOLT/ABO members
£110 + VAT: Non-members
Working to help our customers enjoy an artistic experience can be a source of immense job satisfaction. But what happens when things go wrong? If your role brings you into contact with customers you may have encountered difficult situations, flared tempers or even physical aggression. This day workshop will give you the knowledge to deal with these situations, stay calm and professional, and reach a successful outcome for everyone involved.

Media Training for senior staff
Thursday, 18 March, TMA, London
£200 + VAT: TMA/SOLT/ABO members
£250 + VAT: Non Members
Ensuring that you are giving the right message to the media is an exciting challenge. Getting your message across is essential in a media-savvy world. How do you ensure that you stay "on message" no matter what the provocation? How should you present yourself? How should you act to your best advantage in front of a TV camera or radio microphone when being interviewed? What should you say and what should you avoid saying to keep yourself and your message the focus of
attention? Facilitator Sonia Beldom has extensive experience of creative teams within theatre, radio and television. Sonia worked alongside the Find Madeleine Campaign spokesperson Clarence Mitchell on press and PR management, with David Dimbleby and guests on the latest series of the BBC's "Question Time" and works with broadcast channels for on-screen talent development.

IOSH Managing Safety
Health and safety management within the performing arts
Monday 19 – Thursday 22 April, TMA, London
£400 + VAT: TMA/SOLT/ABO Members
£450 + VAT: Non-members
The TMA is pleased to introduce its new course for managers and supervisors working within arts organisations of all scales. Designed and quality controlled by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, Managing Safely will provide you with the knowledge and practical tools to tackle the many and varied health and safety issues within your teams and companies. The course will cover: Managing safely; Assessing risks; Controlling risks; Understanding your responsibilities; Identifying hazards; Investigating accidents and incidents; Measuring performance; and Protecting our environment.

Just the Ticket: Maximising Ticket Sales
Wednesday 14 April, Cadogan Hall, London
£130 + VAT: TMA/SOLT/ABO members
£160 + VAT: Non members
This one day seminar will look in detail at ticketing and pricing structures, what strategies you can use when setting ticket prices and how audience booking behaviour can change during the various stages of a recession. Guest speakers include Tim Baker of Baker Richards, Heather Maitland, marketing consultant, researcher, lecturer and James Blackman of the Lyric Hammersmith.

Understanding Meeting Dynamics
Tuesday, 20 July, TMA Rose Street,London
£150 + VAT: TMA/SOLT/ABO members
£180 + VAT: Non members
This course offers senior managers in the performing arts the opportunity to access highly sophisticated training specifically designed to aid them in their role as meeting facilitators. This course will offer you practical tips and techniques for more efficient, effective meetings. It will help de-bug your thinking; understand people’s differing behaviours; and provide an insight into Belbin team roles; and introduce you to Transactional Analysis.

The Essentials of Marketing: Druidstone Wales
Sunday 19 – Friday 24 September,
Druidstone Hotel, Pembrokeshire, Wales
£1,100 + VAT: TMA/SOLT/ABO members
£1,300 + VAT: Non-members
After a year’s well earned rest the TMA’s unique opportunity for those in the early stages of their careers as arts marketers returns to its original home for its 26th year. Participants are provided with a thorough grounding in all aspects of arts marketing and a practical framework within which to carry out marketing strategies. The course covers all the essentials of arts marketing including market research, press and pr, e-marketing and copywriting. Based on the latest knowledge about existing and potential arts attenders, it aims to give students the confidence to develop their work to its maximum potential on returning to their own organisations.

Effective Management: walking the tightrope
Sunday 24 – Friday 29 October, Carberry Tower, Edinburgh, Scotland
£1,250 + VAT: TMA/SOLT/ABO members
£1,500 + VAT: Non-members
Since 1993 the TMA’s Effective Management course has provided intensive high quality professional development to almost 200 arts managers from across the whole of the UK. The course is your opportunity to address the many challenges that you may face as a Manager. Sometimes you will find yourself in a position of responsibility where success can only be achieved through the management of other people.
Specifically designed for those working in the arts, the TMA’s highly regarded Effective Management course will give you an introduction to all the tools you will need to ensure that you have the confidence to manage effectively.

How to book
To book your place or for more details on our programme of events and professional development opportunities please visit http://www.tmauk.org/events/default.aspx

Our apologies for missing off Ewan Easton, the Hallé’s Principal Tuba, from the list of recipients in the New Year's Honours list. Ewan was honoured with an MBE for the Hallé4Brass project at Thorn Cross Young Offenders Institution.

"How do you describe something that is liberating and focused, terrifying and nurturing, tailored and completely unstructured? Clore!"    2007/8 Clore Fellow

From 19 January 2010 the Clore Leadership Programme will be inviting applications from exceptional individuals from across the cultural sector with the potential to take on significant leadership roles. The Fellowship Programme aims to shape emerging creative leaders through in-depth learning, tailored as far as possible to the needs, aspirations and circumstances of about 20 individuals a year. Fellows also benefit from unparalleled access to senior cultural leaders and to extensive networks.

The structure of the programme includes:

• residential courses
• an extended placement
• original research
• individually-selected training, mentoring and coaching.

New developments to the Fellowships in 2010 include greater focus, with most Fellows able to complete the core of the Programme in a concentrated six-month period, plus an introductory two-week residential course. Fellows can choose to take a period of six months away from work and receive a bursary while doing their programme, or continue to be attached to their place of work, with their employer being compensated for the sustained periods when they're away.

We welcome applications for general Fellowships from people working across a wide range of creative and cultural activity, and also from those from outside the cultural sector who want to develop as a leader within it. In addition, we also offer some Fellowships focused on particular specialisms or geographical areas. These vary from year to year and can be found on our website.

The closing date for all applications is the 12 March 2010. For further details on the Programme and to access the online application form please visit www.cloreleadership.org . The Clore Leadership Programme is an initiative of the Clore Duffield Foundation. 

Composers and songwriters generate significant cultural and economic wealth, so understanding their lifelong educational and training needs is crucial. For this reason a major survey of composers has been launched by the Royal College of Music’s Centre for Music and Multimedia. The survey seeks to investigate the appropriateness and effectiveness of training and education opportunities for music composers, both in prospect and retrospect. It will capture the experiences of a large number and wide range of composers and songwriters across Europe and beyond, in order to lobby for better opportunities and resources to study the art and craft of composing, including lifelong learning.

The survey has been developed by Professor David Burnand, Head of the CMM at the Royal College of Music, London; with support and advice from colleagues in the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, the Contemporary Music Centre Ireland, the National University of Ireland at Maynooth, Leiden University Academy of Creative and Performing Arts, and the University of Hertfordshire.

Survey link:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/composing

Contact:
All enquiries to: dburnand@rcm.ac.uk

New York, NY, 8 September 2009 — Today, the 2010 Atlantic Music Festival announces its call for entries for Fellowship Program applicants. Submission forms can be completed directly online at the official Atlantic Music Festival website.

http://www.atlanticmusicfestival.org/the-institute

AMF provides complete financial coverage for tuition and housing during the four weeks of residency. The Fellowship Program is is open to orchestral instrumentalists, guitarists, pianists, opera singers, one composer, one conductor, and one recording engineer between the ages of 18 and 34. Accepted applicants will be featured as resident artists at The 2010 Atlantic Music Festival.

The new deadline to submit for the U.S. and International applicants for the 2010 Atlantic Music Festival is February 4, 2010.

The submission form and complete information regarding eligibility and entry rules for the 2010 Atlantic Music Festival are available on the Atlantic Music Festival website. Information is also available through the Atlantic Festival by email to community@atlanticmusicfestival.org , or by regular mail to Little Feather Works, 228 Park Ave S #31975, New York, NY 10003.

For more information, please visit us online at http://www.atlanticmusicfestival.org

The BBC Proms Inspire Young Composers Competition was recently launched. Inspire is a scheme that will provide composers with a friendly environment in which to share ideas, participate in workshops, meet other young composers, get feedback and develop their musical creativity. Best of all, it's all free!

Young Composers' Competition
Now in its twelfth year, the prestigious BBC Proms Inspire Young Composers' Competition gives young composers aged 12-18 a chance to get their music heard by a wider audience. Young composers will need to enter their own, original piece of music - no more than five minutes long - to the BBC Proms judging panel, who'll choose the winning compositions, which are then performed at the Young Composers' Concert during the BBC Proms season and broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

If they win, they'll also receive a commission to be performed and recorded by BBC musicians at the 2010 Inspire events, and get to work with top composers and musicians in a series of workshops to develop thier commission. Last years winners were commissioned to write for the last night of the Proms!

Anyone who enters the Young Composers' Competition or attends a lab can attend Inspire Day, a day of workshops that will challenge and inspire them to compose in ways they'd never thought of, in London on 2 August 2010.

BBC Proms Composer Labs
As part of the scheme, we offer composer labs throughout the UK. These labs help young people meet other composers, share ideas and discover new ones, develop a deeper understanding on how to use use rhythm, harmony, melody and form and how to make them their own.

Composer Labs are a unique chance to join professional musicians from the UK's top orchestras and the BBC Singers, top composers and the BBC Proms team in a day of music making, exploration and discovery.

Labs will be held at locations around the UK between February and April.

Composer Lab schedule
Glasgow
Glasgow City Halls, Candleriggs, Glasgow G1 1NQ
7 February 2010, 10.30am to 4.30pm
In partnership with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Singers

London
Maida Vale Studios, Delaware Road, London W9 2LG
14 February 2010, 10.30am to 4.30pm
In partnership with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and BBC Singers

Cardiff
BBC Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff CF10 5AL
7 March 2010, 10.30am to 4.30pm
In partnership with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and the BBC Singers

Cornwall
Truro High School for Girls, Falmouth Rd, Truro, Cornwall, TR1 2HU
14 March 2010, 10.30am to 4.30pm
In partnership with the BBC Concert Orchestra and the BBC Singers

Birmingham
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, CBSO Centre, Berkley Street, Birmingham, B1 2LF
6 April 2010, 11.00am - 4.00pm
In partnership with Birmingham Contemporary Music Group and the BBC Singers

Manchester
New Broadcasting House, Oxford Road, Manchester M60 1SJ
11 April 2010, 11.00am to 4.00pm
In partnership with the BBC Philharmonic and the BBC Singers

How to get involved
All you need to do is contact promslearning@bbc.co.uk  or call 020 7765 5575 or visit www.bbc.co.uk/proms if you would like to attend any of the Labs.

How to enter the Young Composers' Competition
Send in two musical scores of your composition, along with two CD recordings and an entry form to:
BBC Proms Inspire Young Composers' Competition,
14 Lakeside, PO BOX 105,
Rochester, Kent ME2 4BE.

Entry forms are available from www.bbc.co.uk/proms, by calling 020 7765 5575 or emailing promslearning@bbc.co.uk .

The closing date for entries is 28 May 2010. Any entries received after this date will not be entered in the competition.
 

Arts Council England has made the seventh and final round of awards from its £40 million Sustain fund for organisations under pressure as a result of the recession. Successful applicants include ABO members Academy of Ancient Music, Britten Sinfonia, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Monteverdi Choir & Orchestra. Further details of the awards made and declined are published on the Arts Council England website here. 

Arts Council England (ACE) has launched Achieving great art for everyone – a consultation on future priorities for the arts, the results of which will inform a ten-year strategic framework and ACE’s future investment decisions. Briefly, the consultation outlines five long-term goals that will drive ACE’s development work, inform its funding priorities and strengthen relationships with artists, organisations and audiences. The goals are:

Talent and artistic excellence are thriving and celebrated
The arts leadership and workforce are diverse and highly skilled
More people value and enjoy the arts
Every child and young person has the opportunity to experience the richness of the arts
The arts sector is sustainable, resilient and innovative

ACE have prepared a briefing of key facts as an introduction to the consultation documents themselves. The briefing explains why the consultation is taking place, what it will contain, ACE’s visions and goals for the arts, and post-consultation plans. It also examines each art form individually, outlining the challenges faced, and the aims of the consultation with regard to separate art forms. ACE’s briefing can be read here and the consultation can be viewed in full here.

Arts Council England has announced the appointment of 152 people to write assessments on the artistic work of its regularly funded organisations. The 152 assessors come from a range of backgrounds, including artists, arts managers, academics and journalists. A full list of the assessors is now available on the Arts Council's website at: www.artscouncil.org.uk/artistic-assessment

Michael Garvey, currently General Manager of the OAE, will be joining the AAM as Chief Executive replacing Peter Ansell who moves to Intermusica as Head of Tours and Projects next month. 

Tim Rushby has joined Birmingham Contemporary Music Group as their new Marketing Manager .

Alix de Mauny has recently been appointed Development & Marketing Manager at the European Union Youth Orchestra.