Community focus for More Music with young people, health and wellbeing and inclusion at the core of the organisation, as More Music announces changes to its Leadership Team.

More Music is delighted to announce that Kathryn MacDonald will be taking the role of Executive Director at the end of July. The change comes as the Board of Directors have been developing a new structural model, since the early part of the year and outside of the COVID 19 lockdown circumstances. The new model enables us to further develop work with our local community, in educational settings and regionally, whilst continuing to run regular music sessions. This comes as a positive step as we plan to reopen More Music, when it is safe to do so, including a return to schools’ sessions, Baybeat Streetband performances and finding new ways of connecting communities with music at the heart of what we do.

Our thanks go to Loz Kaye, who will be leaving More Music as Artistic Director as part of the changes. He will be exploring new opportunities, but will still be flying the More Music flag at the Lancashire Encounter festival in 2021.

Kathryn joined More Music in 1996 and has been instrumental in the establishment of our home in the West End of Morecambe, in the continuation of our charitable status and in all our work building and transforming communities. She has developed the organisation’s flagship events: ‘Catch the Wind’ Kite Festival, West End ‘Winter Lantern’ Festival and the very local, celebratory community festival ‘That Spring Thing’ which are all well established and much-loved highlights of the Morecambe calendar. Their focus on bringing communities together has been reimagined through lockdown with innovative online alternatives on offer. This underlines Kathryn’s focus on community development and will lead the organisation into its next phase.

“We are working with optimism towards a positive future and are grateful for the ongoing support of the large numbers of people who continue to advocate for us and become involved with us in many different ways.

Sometimes challenges present us with opportunities to do things differently, to learn and to take chances in the ways we reach out to, meet, and make music with our community. The importance of the continuity of connection, and showing that we care, has never been more important and this work that brings people together and affects social change is more necessary than ever.” said Kathryn.