“BBC Proms and BBC Music Introducing Stages are among the 45 international music festival and conferences that have pledged to achieve or maintain a 50/50 gender balance by 2022,” writes Laura Harding in Monday’s (2/26) Independent (U.K.). “Other UK events committing to tackling gender inequality include 53 Degrees North, Aldeburgh Festival … and Cheltenham Music Festival. Also taking part in the initiative to decrease the gender gap in music are FOCUS Wales, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival … Liverpool International Music Festival [and] Manchester Jazz Festival…. The move was announced at music funding charity PRS Foundation’s international Keychange initiative event…. The initiative, which counts Glastonbury organizer Emily Eavis, singer Imogen Heap, Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson and producer Tony Visconti among its ambassadors, aims to empower women to transform the future of the music industry. David Pickard, director of BBC Proms, said: ‘Achieving a 50/50 gender balance of contemporary composers performed at the BBC Proms is something we … consider vital to the creative development of the world’s largest classical music festival.’ … Vanessa Reed, chief executive of the PRS Foundation, said: … ‘I hope that this will be the start of a more balanced industry which will result in benefits for everyone.’ ”
Posted February 27, 2018
