What's On

Our series of Research Forums gives audiences the opportunity to hear presentations from academics, performers and composers, and to engage in the exchange of ideas that follows. Talks usually last about an hour, including a Q&A session. You can join us in person or watch many of the sessions livestreamed from the RNCM YouTube channel.

Last year, the RNCM was awarded over £206,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for a new archive project, ‘Throwing Open the Concert Doors’, which is conserving and digitising thousands of magnetic reel and tape recordings within our archive of performances dating back to 1973. The project enables us to make these recordings publicly available for the first time and to use our Archive to engage local communities who have never previously had the opportunity to access the RNCM.

Now at the project’s halfway stage, this presentation will explore its learning points and outcomes around two key themes: the ways in which the digitised recordings have been, and will be, used for the benefit of the College, researchers and wider public; and an evaluation of participating community groups’ impressions from before and after their engagement sessions and workshops to show the benefits of this work with people with limited access to cultural provision.

Nick Thompson is Senior Development Manager at the RNCM with responsibility for Trusts and Foundations, including the National Lottery Heritage Fund grant towards the ‘Throwing Open the Concert Doors’ project. Prior to the RNCM he worked at The Lowry, Salford City Council and Arts Council England, where he particularly focused on developing and delivering arts and cultural projects that engage communities and individuals experiencing disadvantage, isolation and other personal and structural challenges.

Heather Roberts is the RNCM’s Archive and Museum Manager. To those who know her, you won’t be surprised to hear her enthuse about this labour of love project, ‘Throwing Open the Concert Doors’. Alongside her work at the RNCM, she is currently project Archivist for the Hallé’s initiative Ancoats: the Hallé Story, administrator for the Greater Manchester Archivists’ Group, and co-developer of the Connecting Manchester’s Music Archives network. She operates a freelance business HerArchivist and specialises in building archives collections and services from scratch for non-heritage charities and businesses, and volunteers for the Manchester Digital Music Archive. Previously she was co-chair of the Archives and Records Association North West, Chair of the Co-operative Heritage Trust and probably a longer list of things she has since forgotten.

Free admission, no ticket required.

This event will end at approximately 5.45pm.