This new edition of the conference has been renamed Conference on Social Inclusion and Education in the Performing Arts and Music in order to give greater visibility and space to the music sector within the conference programme.
To mark this new trajectory, Lloyd Coleman (Associate Music Director) and Hannah Williams Walton (Executive Producer) have been invited to participate in the conference on behalf of Paraorchestra, the world's only large-scale virtuoso ensemble of professional disabled and non-disabled musicians based in the United Kingdom.
In the opening session of the Conference on 7th November, Lloyd Coleman will speak about the barriers that must be removed to guarantee the access of disabled people to the professional music sector and the role of Paraorchestra as a positive force for culture. In the workshop that he and Hannah will give on the 8th, they will share practical examples of how Paraorchestra has managed to create an environment that fosters the integration of disabled musicians and will examine its relationship with festivals and concert halls from the perspective of an inclusive organisation.
The conference will also host a round-table discussion with Cat Sheridan, Senior Producer of Unlimited, a British arts commissioning body that supports, funds and promotes new work by disabled artists for UK and international audiences.
With the support of the British Council, the Conference is organised by the National Institute of Performing Arts and Music (INAEM), the Institut Valencià de Cultura, the Murcia City Council, the Andalusian Agency of Cultural Institutions of the Junta de Andalucía and the Spanish Network of Theatres, Auditoriums, Public Circuits and Festivals.
More information and registration here