Meet the team
Meet our dedicated team of Music in Hospitals & Care staff who share the healing power of live music with thousands of people each year. From fundraising to finance, and everything in between, they keep the music playing across the UK.
Live music makes me feel present, connected and alive.
My favourite live music experience has to be David Bowie, standing at the front of the stage at the Milton Keynes Bowl on a Summer’s evening in 1983, playing the opening bars of Space Oddity on an acoustic guitar as the sun set behind him.
Alison Kemp
Live music makes me feel emotional, alive and thankful.
My favourite live music experience would have to be when I joined Music in Hospitals & Care musicians in the adult acute mental health wards at Gartnavel Royal Hospital in Glasgow. It was incredibly powerful seeing live music visibly relax the patients and transform the space for the staff who were there.
Barbara Osborne
Live music makes me feel animated, euphoric and present.
My favourite live music experience would have to be Music in Hospitals & Care musicians A4 Brass Quartet at Lancasterian School in Manchester. It was amazing to see how the group of multi-sensory impaired children interacted with the instruments and used new signals they had learnt to request changes in the tempo or volume.
Cat Riley
Live music makes me feel reflective, emotional and free.
My favourite live music experience would have to be a live stream I organised with Music in Hospitals & Care musicians Laura-Jayne Hunter and Hattie Whitehead. They shared their own arrangements of classic songs with amazing harmonies and lots of health and care settings engaged by sending lovely messages and song requests in.
Chloe Baker
Live music makes me feel immersed, free and inspired.
My favourite live music experience was seeing The Who at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton, I was overcome with emotion. From the opening chords played very loudly by Pete Townshend, I knew that I wanted to be involved in music for the rest of my life.
Elliot Shulman
Live music makes me feel connected, emotional and immersed.
My favourite live music experience would have to be when I saw The Buzzcocks in a small independent venue in Oxford. It is one of the first times I remember going to see live music – I was near the front and completely taken in by the whole experience.
Emily Honey
Live music makes me feel excited, present and happy.
My favourite live music experience is has to be seeing a Hendrix tribute band play in Leeds last year with my Dad. It was like having the real thing! It was really special because it’s music that my Dad grew up with and raised me on. Jimi Hendrix was also a huge inspiration in me wanting to learn guitar.
Jake Kay
Live music makes me feel energised, uplifted and inspired.
Seeing Queen live during their A Night at the Opera / A Day at the Races era in what would now be considered as a very small venue, was a real privilege. The atmosphere, the showmanship, and Bohemian Rhapsody performed live was unforgettable. The recent Proms 50th anniversary tribute brought it all flooding back, pure joy, nostalgia, and musical brilliance.
Jan Shone
Live music makes me feel included, relaxed and inspired.
My favourite live music experience would have to be when I watched Music in Hospitals & Care harpist Margaret Watson playing in an Intensive Care Unit. It was not an environment I had ever been to before and was very clinical and overwhelming, even just as a visitor. The music gave a sense of calm and normality.
Jenny Jones
Live music makes me feel comforted, grounded and carefree.
I saw Florence and the Machine at Edinburgh Summer Sessions right in my peak obsession with them, so it really transcended any other experience I’ve had so far! I was playing their new album every day right at the time of the concert. So to capture that feeling live in such an electric atmosphere outdoors on a summer’s evening, with Edinburgh Castle as the backdrop, was a memory I’ll never forget.
Jodi Findlay
Live music makes me feel alive, energised and connected.
I think the live music experience that had the biggest ‘wow’ factor and impact for me was singing John Rutter’s ‘Gloria’ with a full mixed youth choir and orchestra at the Great Hall, Aberystwyth. Awesome music, surrounded by sound, with the bass section thundering away behind me. Pure joy!
Katrina Rigby
Live music makes me feel moved, connected and spellbound.
My favourite live music experience would have to be seeing Bob Dylan in a small province in China. He was the first ‘left wing’ artist to perform after Björk shouted ‘free Tibet’ and it was an incredible performance. I called my mum straight after to run through his set list.
Kirsty Richmond
Live music makes me feel moved, motivated and whole.
Visiting the Neonatal Unit in Aberdeen Maternity Hospital with a Music in Hospitals & Care musician sticks in my mind. I spent some time on the ward before the music began so I was able to experience the immediate change in atmosphere and the looks on people faces as the music reached them. It was magical!
Kirstyn Knowles
Live music makes me feel inspired, connected and joyful.
My favourite live music experience would have to be when I went to the Busted reunion concert. In primary school I was a huge fan of them but they split up before I was able to see them live, so I jumped at this chance – it was just as amazing as I’d imagined!
Lara Osborne
Lauren Tough
Live music makes me feel alive, emotive and escapist.
I was once lucky enough to perform in the Royal Albert Hall singing Handel’s Messiah as part of many choirs. It was such an extraordinary experience and one I will be forever grateful for. The music was so powerful and inspiring and left you feeling like anything was possible.
Mara Morrish
Live music makes me feel immersed, spontaneous and creative.
My favourite live music experience would have to be my first experience of Handel’s Messiah live in a cathedral, it was absolutely captivating as a child. I still get chills when I remember it.
Mary Goodman
Live music makes me feel uplifted, thoughtful and emotional.
My favourite live music experience would have to be my first time seeing a West End musical as a child. I saw the Lion King and from the opening number, the Circle of Life, I was completely captivated and immersed into the whole performance. For me it stands out as an experience of finding one of my happy places.
Robyn Skellington
Live music makes me feel happy, energised and engaged.
My favourite live music experience – there are too many! Barns Courtney in Glasgow in 2019 was incredible. The last live music I saw was a Christmas carol concert, the singing was just magical. A couple of gigs I had tickets for have been rescheduled for this year and I can’t wait!
Sue Diamond
Live music makes me feel alive, connected and inspired.
My favourite live music experience would have to be stumbling across a surprise acoustic set from The Guillemots at the Southbank Centre. Their songs often move me but the setting and seeing them live moved me to tears. It was a magical experience and a testament to the power of music.
Vicky Daborn Tedder
Live music makes me feel energised, joyful and nostalgic.
My all-time favourite band is Coheed and Cambria, so I’d have to go with one of the three times I have seen them! I’ve followed them since I was about 13 years old and I loved every album they release even more than the last – seeing them live is something I always try to do when I get the opportunity!
