EMFEB Patrons -
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Published on: 8/6/2006
Last Visited: 7/4/2007
We are extremely honoured and excited by the addition of Sir Colin Davis CBE, Sir James Galway OBE, Steve Martland, Sally Groves, Dr Jill White and Huw Humphreys as Patrons of EMFEB.
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Furthermore, although Jill left the BBC in 1993, the still-running and recently award winning BBC Radio Three programme 'In Tune', was actually launched by her - she is proud that it is still part of BBC Radio Three's output.
As the Director of Music, for almost ten years, of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain - the world's foremost youth orchestra - Jill annually auditioned over 600 of the UK's most gifted young musicians, introduced science, literature and the visual arts to the teaching programme of the orchestra, pioneered their Creative programme and instigated a Composers' Class.Jill also musically planned and produced their 50th Anniversary tour of Europe conducted by Sir John Eliot-Gardiner and both she and the orchestra contributed to the 100th birthday celebrations of HM, the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother who was the NYO's Royal Patron.In addition, with her BBC career expertise she ensured that each music course programme would be broadcast by BBC Radio Three, which hitherto had not been the case.
As the Artistic Director of the Bournemouth International Arts Festival, Jill included a science strand because she fervently believes that music is connected to all disciplines.Jill is the Founding Chair of Talent Roku, a Czech/Slovak Music Competition which she modelled on the BBC Young Musician Competition with whose launch in 1978 she had been significantly involved
Jill has, along with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain been declared 'a national treasure' and at a recent Incorporated Society of Music Conference was amusingly deemed as being capable of 'raising Lazarus', due to the myriad opportunities she has instigated and pioneered in her chosen field.
Certainly, in the UK and in Europe - Jill has made and is still making things happen!
Jill is an equestrian (she learned to ride aged 50 years), is an artist - including life drawing and painting, as well as portraiture, - writes poetry, loves cooking for her friends and believes that life is 'for giving' rather 'taking'.
In Jill's hands classical music is not a stuffy, 'for the few' option but rather a 'life enhancing' opportunity for everyone.
Jill has several times been voted a Woman of the Year, is a Freeman of the City of London, a member of the Worshipful Company of Musicians, and an Honorary Member of the Polish Composers' Union.She has served as a Governor at both the Dartington College of Arts and Bath College of Higher Education (now part of the University of Bath) is President of several Music Societies across the South and West, is the Founding President of Music Box, a Children's Opera Company based in Bristol, where she has lived since 1986
In 2003 Jill became the proud recipient of an Honorary Doctor of Music Degree from the University of Bristol - an honour offered to very few, amongst whom are Ralph Vaughan Williams and Sir Michael Tippett!