Sound and Music appoints Creative Director
News release: 30 October, 2009
SOUND AND MUSIC ANNOUNCES
JOHN KIEFFER AS CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Sound and Music (SAM), the UK’s landmark organisation championing new music and sound, is delighted to announce the appointment of John Kieffer as its Creative Director with immediate effect.
The Creative Director is a pivotal new post within SAM and marks a significant new phase in the organisation’s development. John will have the opportunity to take the organisation, and new music and sound, into new and unexpected areas of development, to realise visionary and ambitious projects and attract larger audiences to pioneering work than ever before. As Creative Director, John will play a crucial role in bringing creative leadership to SAM and setting the organisation’s artistic vision.
“I am very excited to be joining Sound and Music in this new role. The world has changed and there are now potentially so many ways for people to experience music and sound. SAM has been set up in a way that allows us to work in an integrated fashion - live events; digital initiatives; knowledge and resources; and learning - and we have the flexibility of not being tied to a particular venue.
As well as working with artists, music and arts organisations, and like-minded producers to develop some superb events and projects, I want SAM to have an ongoing conversation with fans of new music and sound art, and crucially to find some new ways to broaden our audience base. A lot of this work is challenging and unfamiliar, but as people are increasingly seeking out and enjoying new experiences elsewhere in arts and culture, I believe that it is time for all of us involved in new music and sound to take a big step forward.
Strange and wonderful sounds have always been a huge part of my life, and I am really looking forward to this next phase!” John Kieffer, Creative Director, Sound and Music
“Sound and Music is an organisation with a rich heritage. We want a world where new music and sound transforms lives, challenges expectations and that celebrates the work of its creators. It’s a big vision and one which we are totally committed to. John Kieffer is an exciting appointment as Creative Director. He is passionate about our art form and has a singular ability to deliver a real, lasting impact for the nation. The whole organisation looks forward to working with him over the coming years. He will be an important voice in the debate around the cultural strength of the nation.” Sonita Alleyne, Chair, Sound and Music
John Kieffer has over 25 years' experience in cultural policy, arts management, arts programming, creative industries development, and the music industry.
Throughout the late 70s and 80s John worked in live music and arts programming and production and with Shape before joining the London Docklands Development Corporation as Arts Development Manager in the latter days of the regeneration authority, establishing an arts programme featuring young British visual artists from the Goldsmiths school and the burgeoning visual arts scene of the time.
In 1992 he was appointed as Director of Arts for London Arts with responsibility for all art-form policy, and from 1997-99 he worked simultaneously as the Director of the Arts Foundation and as Programme Associate for Artangel.
John then took up the role of Head of Music and Director of Performing Arts for the British Council where he introduced major changes in the form and content of the programme, most notably a substantial engagement with the commercial music industry. He commissioned the Council's weekly music radio show, the Selector that won a Gold Sony award in 2005.
As a consultant, John has worked with a wide range of organisations such as the Design Museum, the Music Manifesto, Arts Council England, Punch, University of the Arts, Glyndebourne, London Design Festival, and the Clore Leadership Programme.
John co-edited the influential After The Crunch (April 2009) with John Holden, Shelagh Wright and John Newbigin and will continue to work on associated projects. He is also an associate with Double Shot.
He was formerly chair of Artangel and is a trustee of A New Direction, and the BBC Performing Arts Fund. John is an adviser to City University, Tate Modern and Cove Park.
Founded in October 2008, Sound and Music (SAM) is a brand new, landmark company created from the legacy of four of this country’s long-standing lead organisations dedicated to the national and international promotion of new music and sound art: British Music Information Centre, Contemporary Music Network, Society for the Promotion of New Music and Sonic Arts Network.
SAM works in partnership with complementary organisations to raise the profile and awareness of this vital and inspiring art form. It brings together practitioners, producers and promoters with the ambition to attract bigger and more diverse audiences to engage with innovative and sometimes challenging work.
In its first twelve months, SAM has already produced a highly successful first season of live events which featured a partnership with Manchester International Festival (helping to shape the score of Rufus Wainwright’s Prima Donna), rave reviews for the first live rendition of Brian Eno’s Apollo at the Science Museum and a major hit at the Edinburgh Festival with Power Plant. Within this time SAM launched The Sampler, SAM’s free, fortnightly email guide to what’s on throughout the UK new music and sound scene, plus its new, monthly online magazine, INTO (what you’re into if you’re into sound and music). SAM has also just launched a brand new interactive, iphone application for the hearing impaired, Lumisonic, through iTunes.
SAM will expand upon the work of its founders, with live events, learning and participation opportunities, digital platforms and information resources adding depth and richness to the experience of audiences and users when they engage with new music and sound.
With the appointment of John Kieffer as Creative Director, a hugely exciting new phase of development begins both for SAM and for new music and sound, in the UK and beyond.
For all press enquiries contact: Maija Handover / sounduk, 020 7375 0025, maija@sounduk.net / www.sounduk.net
Notes to Editors:
Sound and Music online: www.soundandmusic.org
John Kieffer online: www.creative-economy.org.uk
