In response to the open letter that was sent to Sound and Music and Arts Council England last month and which gathered 135 signatories, we have received the following short statement from the Sound and Music Board of Trustees dated 18 May 2012 (which can also be viewed as a PDF):
Sound and Music would like to acknowledge the letter from over 72 individuals, headed by Martin Butler, Rolf Hind, Andrew Hugill, Ian Pace, Mariam Rezaei, and Chris Swithinbank.
As stated in our published response to the initial open letter, we have committed the organisation to carry out a meaningful consultation with the whole sector in order to maximize the impact of a renewed Sound and Music. We believe that this consultation should take place once a new leadership team is in place.
The appointment of the new CEO (Susanna Eastburn) has very recently been announced and the recruitment of a new team is still in progress. This has to remain the priority of the Board but we will be contacting you again, as soon as the new CEO is in place.
Signed:
The Trustee Board of Sound and Music: Michelle Wright, Interim Chair, David Aspinall, Simon Emmerson, Cliff Fluet, Christopher Fox, and Debra King