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One of five new board members appointed
Female conductor, winner of the Solti prize, and recent graduate, Tianyi Lu is one of five new board members appointed by the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama (RWCMD).
Reflecting the College’s ongoing commitment to excellence and inclusion, collaboration and making a difference to society, the new members joining the RWCMD board of directors are:
• April Koyejo-Audiger - opera singer and opera maker, and former Jette Parker Anniversary Company Artist 21-22 for The Royal Opera House.
• Ian Lewis - founder of media consultancy, film and TV distribution and production company Serenroc, and Deputy Chair on the board of the National Film and Television School. Previously Group Director for Sky Cinema.
• Tianyi Lu - Conductor-in-Residence with the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra in Norway, WNO Female Conductor in Residence, and Artist Ambassador for Opera for Peace, as well as an RWCMD graduate.
• David Ruebain - Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Culture, Equality and Inclusion at the University of Sussex and former Chief Executive of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama.
• Nitin Sawhney - CBE, musician, composer, producer and Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement recipient.
Announcing the new appointments, Chairman of the board John Derrick said, ‘The six new trustees reflect the exceptional breadth and depth of skills and experience that a 21st century conservatoire board needs. They bring deep knowledge and expertise from music to screen and recorded film, media and opera.
Ensuring that our conservatoire graduates are ready to continue their careers as a community of artists and professionals requires a board that can support and challenge our first-class executive team. Combined with our existing trustees, these new members will ensure that we add further expertise in the legal and digital fields.
I look forward to welcoming them to the board and enriching our dialogue, supporting our ambitious aim to ensure that RWCMD nurtures talent, engages with its audiences, and represents Wales as a distinctive, creative force in the world.’
'As we continue to deepen and extend the College’s impact both in Wales and internationally the overall mix of skills and expertise on our board will play an essential part in achieving our ambitions.
Our focus is on training and nurturing the next generation of artists, preparing them to join the creative industries as forward-thinking, artistic contributors to society.'Professor Helena GauntPrincipal of RWCMD
RWCMD Vice President, Rhodri Talfan Davies commented: ‘These exciting appointments tell you everything about the College’s commitment to delivering a world class conservatoire experience – drawing on the creative talent of board members boasting a remarkable range of artistic and business accomplishments. These appointments also underline RWCMD’s determination to open up music and drama education to people from all backgrounds.’
Led by Chairman John Derrick, the RWCMD board also includes Manon Antoniazzi, Dr Ben Calvert, Mario Ferelli, Natasha Hale, Aled Miles and Roger Munnings.
The new board members will join the College for their first board meeting in February.
Editors notes
April Koyejo-Audiger
British soprano April Koyejo-Audiger is a former Jette Parker Anniversary Company Artist 21-22 for The Royal Opera. She graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and went on to take a Masters degree in Vocal Performance at the Royal College of Music, where she was a Leverhulme Arts Scholar and a Help Musicians UK postgraduate award recipient.
Last year she won a Black British Theatre Award for Best Opera Performance as Barena in the Olivier award-wining Jenůfa at the Royal Opera House, and she joins WNO for its production of The Magic Flute next year. aprilkoyejo.com
Ian Lewis
With over 30 years’ experience in the film, TV and advertising industries, and is the founder of media consultancy Serenroc, a film and TV distribution and production company. Ian spent 21 years at Sky, starting as Director of Promotion Strategy in 1999, before becoming Director of Broadcasting, then Director of Sky Movies, SBO and Acquisitions, and finally Group Director for Sky Cinema. He is also the Deputy Chair on the board of the National Film and Television School.
Graduate of orchestral conducting at RWCMD, Chinese-born New Zealander Tianyi Lu collaborates with major orchestras and opera houses worldwide. Her work is driven by an ethos of empowerment, creating connection and compassion across diverse communities through music. Tianyi Lu is Conductor-in-Residence with the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra in Norway and the Female-Conductor-in-Residence with the Welsh National Opera and Principal Conductor of the St Woolos Sinfonia in the UK. She recently won first prize in the Sir Georg Solti International Conductors Competition and is also an Artist Ambassador for Opera for Peace. www.tianyi-lu.com
David Ruebain
Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Culture, Equality and Inclusion at the University of Sussex, and former Chief Executive of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama. His previous experience includes advising the FA Premier League on equalities issues, consulting at Equality Works (EW Group). He is a consultant to Black Thrive Global, which seeks to address the impact of systemic racism on Black communities, and a past winner of RADAR’s People of the Year Award for Achievement in the Furtherance of Human Rights of Disabled People in the UK. He has also been named as one of the 25 Most Influential Disabled People in the UK by Disability Now Magazine and last year was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Law.
Nitin Sawhney
CBE is currently chair of the PRS Foundation, the UK’s leading music charity, and sits as a director on numerous boards. He has scored over 70 films and TV series and released over 20 successful and critically acclaimed albums, and written for and conducted the London Symphony Orchestra multiple times. He has worked with many other notable orchestras and bands around the world, has written, worked with and produced for many of the world’s top musicians. He holds seven honorary doctorates, over 20 major international awards, several fellowships and an Ivor Novello lifetime achievement award. As a musician, he plays a range of styles as a guitarist and pianist. He is also a university lecturer and has lectured at numerous international universities, including Stanford and Berklee in Valencia. www.nitinsawhney.com
