Following the success of its 2021 JPN Conference, the Jazz Promotion Network (JPN) has appointed Eleanor Ward in a senior strategic position as the organisation embarks on an exciting period of change.
The JPN conference took place on the 19th and 20th November. The first day of the event was hosted online and brought together promoters, venues, educators and musicians from across the UK and Ireland for a series of talks and breakout rooms facilitated by the likes of Wim Wabbes, Janine Irons (Tomorrow’s Warriors), Paula Kemp (Social Mobility Commission) and Rob Farhat (Serious).
Taking place in-person and live-streamed to online delegates, the second day of the conference at the Southbank Centre included a conversation between award-winning musician and educator Orphy Robinson and journalist Kevin Le Gendre. Following their discussion about the current state of jazz in the UK, Paulette Long OBE chaired a thought-provoking and motivational panel discussion about inclusion in the UK jazz sector. Panellists Estée Blu (The F-List), Mahaliah Edwards (Black Lives In Music), Natalie South-Law (Attitude Is Everything) and Cassie Raine (Parents & Carers in Performing Arts) shared their personal experiences along with their wider perspectives on inclusion in the music industry.
Joining the charity as Network Development Director, Eleanor will lead on a sectoral consultation project, develop new activity plans and oversee major funding bids to help shape the future direction of JPN.
Eleanor is the former Executive Director of the charity Nonclassical, a small but influential contemporary classical music promoter and record label based in East London.
She has also worked in arts funding for Arts Council England and PRS Foundation, as Programme Manager for music education charity Sound Connections and as Festival Producer for Field Day and Spitalfields Music Festival. She is co-founder and Project Director of Street Orchestra Live and works as a freelance music consultant and creative producer.
Eleanor said: “I’m really excited to be joining JPN as Network Development Director at this exciting time of reopening and revival for the sector. The role brings together my love of jazz and what is at the heart of my work - supporting and developing artists and organisations.
“I look forward to working strategically with the Board, the wider membership of JPN and everyone involved in the promotion of jazz across the UK and Ireland.”
