Meet the team

Phil has over 25 years experience leading highly successful music, arts and education projects. Originally training as a sound engineer, Phil spent much of the late 80s behind a mixing desk working with artists such as Adam Ant and Maxi Priest. He went on to produce numerous recordings including the album ‘Utopia’ for Peter Gabriel’s ‘Real World’ Records. Phil is currently Chair of the Music Education Council and has been on the Department for Education advisory panel helping to write a revised National Plan for Music Education.

Kate has extensive leadership, fundraising and consultancy experience spanning the arts, culture and commercial sectors. She has led fundraising teams at the National Trust and Oxford Playhouse; undertaken consultancy for flagship arts organisations and government departments; and initiated various education and participation programmes both locally and nationally.  Kate has a background in the performing arts, having attended Mountview Theatre School and working as an actor for over ten years. She has held a number of Trusteeships and is currently a Trustee of the Cheltenham Trust.

Kate has over 15 years experience in the arts sector, designing and delivering large scale projects to the highest level. Stating out at the Milton Keynes City Orchestra, Kate quickly progressed in the music education sector working at the London Symphony Orchestra in their Discovery team and then joining Music for Youth in 2014. Kate is a proactive person motivated by working with people, developing long term relationships, and getting results and is deeply passionate about the arts and creating life changing opportunities for young people.

Winnie is a music industry and education programme producer who works across the arts (TV, Film, Music & Performing Arts). She develops initiatives, events and partnerships that supports the arts infrastructure. In addition to programming, her expertise lies in implementing processes, research, evaluation and grants that support key strategic priorities. As Project Manager at MFY she is responsible for developing and leading the youth engagement programme within the informal sector and ensuring the delivery of multiple pathways of diverse young people into MFY events and opportunities.  

Ethan is the Programme Assistant at MFY, working to deliver their programme of events throughout the year. He has a background as a performer/composer, graduating from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in 2022. He has a lot of experience as a professional trumpeter, playing in gigs spanning the classical, soundtrack, jazz, commercial and contemporary genres – some highlights include performing at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and currently touring with the London Film Music Orchestra. Ethan is also passionate about providing opportunities for young people to perform live music!

Abbie works as part of the communications team, managing all digital content, such as the website, email marketing and social media. She also assists in traditional marketing promotion for our events. Abbie has a background in performing arts, and many years' experience in marketing and communications. She has also completed her CIM Level 4 qualification and is currently completing the CIM Level 6.

Simon joined Music for Youth in 2020 and brings fundraising and business development expertise. Simon originally trained as a musician, studying trombone and conducting and has shared the stage with artists like Sir Roger Norrington, Allan Vizzutti, Randy Brecker, and Bill Watrous. As a fundraiser, Simon led teams achieving multi-million pound targets across different sectors. He now works in CSR. He also finds time to serve as Music Director for Richmond Music Trust, leveraging 22 years of teaching and performing experience. He supports Music for Youth because he believes all young people should have the opportunity to perform music, no matter their background, instrument, or favourite genre.

Chris has worked at the National Education Union (and the National Union of Teachers before it) since 2002. He initially had policy and research roles at the Union and has been working on political affairs since 2006. 

Chris studied Politics at the University of Liverpool. Before then he attended comprehensive schools in Newcastle upon Tyne.

Chris is proud to support Music for Youth as he believes that all children should have the opportunity to access music education, regardless of their background and upbringing. 

Isabel joined the Music for Youth Trustees in 2024 with a wealth of experience in arts, heritage and culture. Her focus has been enabling a wider variety of audiences to experience arts and culture, supporting workforce development and individual mentoring and coaching. She is currently Strategic Partnerships Manager at The National Archives Sector Leadership team, and most recently Senior Manager for national Museums Investment at Arts Council England. She previously managed museums throughout the Midlands focusing on audience and workforce development to enable greater access and diversity. She has a wealth of trustee experience and is also a life-long fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

John joined the board of trustees over ten years ago serving as Chair for 6 years. John was Assistant General Secretary of the NUT (Now the NEU) who remain major sponsors of Music for Youth. Before then John was a secondary school head of music and conducted a local youth orchestra. Throughout his career, and post-retirement, John has worked within the education sector and currently serves as a chair of Governors on a local school and on a diocesan board of education in addition to his continuing role as a trustee of Music for Youth. He continues personal active music engagement as an organist and composes for and leads a music group. John is passionate about promoting and providing opportunities for young people to be able to participate in live music performances and receive appropriate mentoring to aid their development. During his time as a trustee, he has worked with other trustees and the team to continue exploring ways to further broaden diversity of music genres and access at all levels to Music for Youth events from our local festivals to the major festivals and proms.

Collin is a creative industry professional with over 15 years of experience. He currently serves as the Head of Creative Development at Be United, a charity dedicated to promoting the arts and culture of the Black and African-Caribbean community in Scotland. He is responsible for overseeing the organisation's creative arts strategy and direction and utilises his expertise to design and deliver innovative programs that provide a deeper level of support to Scotland’s Black creatives.

He is an advocate for young creatives and dedicates his time and energy to their support and advancement. As a filmmaker, musician and writer, he has used his talents to inspire and empower others throughout his career and he has helped to create more vibrant artistic communities, ensuring that the voices of young creatives are heard and celebrated.

Liz has been a trustee of Music for Youth since 2020. She is a member of the Audit and Risk Committee, and advises the charity on a range of areas including marketing and communications and organisational development. She is the Director of Communications and Marketing for the UK's national academy for the humanities and social sciences, the British Academy, and has held leadership roles in a range of organisations in Higher Education and public bodies including Goldsmiths, University of London, the Electoral Commission and the Learning Trust. She is a member of the British Library Advisory Board and a trustee of Bridging Arts and a regular oboist at the London Repertoire Orchestra. Liz is passionate about ensuring all young people have access to high-quality performance opportunities, having benefitted herself from those offered by the Leicestershire Music Service.

Judi is a board member of Music For Youth and Chair of the Audit & Risk Committee. She is a qualified Chartered Accountant with 40 years’ experience in financial management of small and medium-size businesses. Having attended several MFY Proms and the National Festival, she was impressed with the work of the Charity and the quality of events produced enabling children and young adults to perform to audiences in world-class venues. When an opportunity arose to help the Charity with financial management support, she was glad to be able to use her expertise and become involved.

Alex Merckx is a passionate amateur classical singer and oboist, based in Oxford. Her belief in the incredible benefit that music and performance offers, has come from both her childhood and that of her 3 children. Alex hopes that her experience working within the health tech and health charity industries as a Director of Marketing and Partnerships, might offer some valuable support to Music For Youth to ensure its continued success.

Jon joined the Board of Music For Youth in March 2023, inspired by the vision and impact of the organisation’s work. He has been a senior fundraiser in the charity and arts sectors for nearly 20 years, and is Director of Development at The BRIT School, the world-famous free arts school in Croydon. Prior to that, Jon has been in senior leadership positions at Speech and Language UK, Revitalise, and FareShare, and was Trustee of arts organisations Drake Music and Stanley Arts.