Sound Connections welcomes two new Trustees to the board!

General
4 Sep 2024

Sound Connections are very pleased to welcome Flo Schroeder and Samantha Stimpson as new Trustees to the Board this September.

This marks the first Trustees to join the charity since Liz and Wizdom’s Co-Directorship began in July 2024. Find out more about Flo and Sam below.

I am so delighted to welcome Flo and Sam to our team of trustees. Together they bring energy and expertise from the world of live music and music education to inform, challenge, support and inspire our whole Sound Connections community.

Norton York - Chair of Trustees, Sound Connections

Flo Schroeder (she/her)

Flo is a cultural learning and participation professional, currently leading the Royal Albert Hall’s Engagement programme, which aims to enrich people’s lives and offer fairer access to the arts. Coming from a musical background herself, Flo is passionate about the transformative power of music and the arts, and is committed to widening inclusion and removing barriers to participation. She also sits on the Tri-borough Music Hub governance board and has worked in partnership with many music education charities and organisations throughout her time at the Hall.

I’m delighted to be confirmed as a new Trustee for Sound Connections, who do such vital work supporting the music education sector. I am particularly looking forward to getting involved in their working providing pathways for young people into creative careers, and the important inclusivity training and advocacy that Sound Connections provides. I’m excited to be joining at a pivotal time in the charity’s development and look forward to supporting Liz and Wizdom in their new roles as Co-Directors.

Flo Schroeder

Samantha Stimpson B.Ed MA (she/her)

Samantha Stimpson B.Ed MA (she/her), is a multi-award winning consultant and the founder and CEO of SLS 360, an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion consultancy firm who support, challenge and empower individuals and organisations, to be bold and brave in their work to eliminate injustice and discrimination and affect positive change.

Samantha is also a Violin & Viola player with a mission to ensure greater representation of musicians across all genres but especially classical music, so children and young people of colour don’t experience being ‘othered’ as the only one or one of few.

Her research on the importance of representation and her work with over 150 organisations in the UK and worldwide, has highlighted the importance of recruitment and retention which focusses on valuing diversity and not just optics. A focus that goes beyond the ‘business case’ for diversity and has a foundation built on trust and respect within an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive.

Samantha is a passionate advocate of EDI and is on a mission to ensure as many individuals and organisations as possible, are empowered to take action to disrupt the status quo and embed the principles of EDI in all the work they do.

I’m excited to be joining the board of Sound Connections as their commitment to empowering young people through music perfectly aligns with my passion for fostering creativity and community engagement. I look forward to bringing my experience as CEO of SLS 360 Ltd to support and expand the impactful work Sound Connections is doing in the arts and education sector. I love nothing better than sharing my work, life experiences and knowledge with organisations and sharing the love and passion I have for the power of the work of equity, diversity & inclusion.

Samantha Stimpson B.Ed MA

The whole Sound Connections team are really looking forward to working with Flo and Sam as we embark on our first year with our new Co-Director leadership model, and as we develop and implement our new 3-year strategic plan from 2025-2028.