Young Sounds UK join the Harrison Parrott Foundation Symposium

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On Friday 14 November we were delighted to join our strategic partners at Harrison Parrott (HP) at The Glasshouse in Gateshead as part of the HP Foundations Symposium. This year’s event brought together musicians, educators, industry leaders, funders, policymakers and young people to tackle topics of equity, excellence and access in the music sector. 

The afternoon saw Young Sounds Chief Executive Hester Cockcroft take part in a panel discussing exclusion and access alongside representatives from National Youth Orchestra, North East Music Hub and Young Sounds UK Alumna and former Trustee Mahaliah Edwards. On the day Hester says: 

“What a great day of diverse and expert perspectives and experiences! I was delighted to represent Young Sounds UK on a panel of brilliant peers and learn from so many others across education and the industry. We were proud to be one of the convening partners.”

Thank you to Harrison Parrott, BBC Orchestras & Choirs, Glasshouse International Centre of Music and UK Music for an insightful day.

We’ll be continuing discussions around inclusivity as part of the Class Ceiling conference on the 9th of December. This new conference is dedicated to addressing the socio-economic barriers that shape access, opportunity, and progression in the classical music industry. Presented by Revere Arts, in partnership with Mark Pemberton Arts. This will take place at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. Book your place by 30 November 2025 by clicking here.

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Our Partners: Harrison Parrott

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Harrison Parrott  are an international classical music management company.  Through our partnership we offer a number of young musicians a week long work experience placement. This gives them a greater understanding of how artists are managed across Harrison Parrotts’ departments. Exploring wider skills – such as finance and marketing – needed within the music industry. Nathan-Asher took part in the placement last year and told us: 

“Working the week in Harrison Parrott’s was great fun and really enlightening. Seeing the amount of work that goes into being and managing a professional musician was astounding, and it was a privilege to be able to work with a member of each department, who were very welcoming and supportive.”