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Rick Eling
Chair of Trustees
Rick attended the Hulme Grammar School in Oldham before reading English Literature at the University of Liverpool. On graduation he joined the Royal Navy as an officer and served for six years on a variety of surface warships and shore bases, including six months in the Falkland Islands where he hosted live radio shows on the forces radio station, BFBS Radio 1. He left the navy to begin a second career in financial services and has since held senior management positions in a number of wealth management groups. Rick is married to Heather, with whom he shares a love of motorcycles, cooking, Italy and all forms of the arts.
Rick attended the Hulme Grammar School in Oldham before reading English Literature at the University of Liverpool. On graduation he joined the Royal Navy as an officer and served for six years on a variety of surface warships and shore bases, including six months in the Falkland Islands where he hosted live radio shows on the forces radio station, BFBS Radio 1. He left the navy to begin a second career in financial services and has since held senior management positions in a number of wealth management groups. Rick is married to Heather, with whom he shares a love of motorcycles, cooking, Italy and all forms of the arts.
Aziz Ibrahim
Trustee
Guitarist Aziz Ibrahim is a composer, creative producer, label manager, curator & speaker. He has worked with The Stone Roses, Paul Weller, Simply Red, Asia, Ian Brown & many other globally celebrated artists. He is also active in the arts having delivered 3 successful projects for Arts Council England as well as many international concert & lecture tours for the British Council culminating in an invitation to Buckingham Palace for his contribution to the culture & economy. Aziz has been awarded Dr of Arts (honoris causa) by the University of Salford, Leader in Residence by UCLan & received the Jinnah award in Music.
Contributions in music education and humanities are many including BBC Introducing masterclasses also presented at universities both abroad & in the U.K, as well as prison mentoring, hospice & homeless shelter work. Aziz is currently working in conjunction with Lancashire Heritage Learning as 'Musician in Residence' across museums & other cultural spaces on a pioneering project called 'Sound Of Heritage'.
Guitarist Aziz Ibrahim is a composer, creative producer, label manager, curator & speaker. He has worked with The Stone Roses, Paul Weller, Simply Red, Asia, Ian Brown & many other globally celebrated artists. He is also active in the arts having delivered 3 successful projects for Arts Council England as well as many international concert & lecture tours for the British Council culminating in an invitation to Buckingham Palace for his contribution to the culture & economy. Aziz has been awarded Dr of Arts (honoris causa) by the University of Salford, Leader in Residence by UCLan & received the Jinnah award in Music.
Contributions in music education and humanities are many including BBC Introducing masterclasses also presented at universities both abroad & in the U.K, as well as prison mentoring, hospice & homeless shelter work. Aziz is currently working in conjunction with Lancashire Heritage Learning as 'Musician in Residence' across museums & other cultural spaces on a pioneering project called 'Sound Of Heritage'.
Yana Eskandari
Trustee
Yana has 20+ years experience in financial services industry. Over the course of her career, she held several roles with Barclays, BlackRock, Merrill Lynch Investment managers and EBRD, where she developed expertise in Business Management, Finance and Service management. Yana is Chartered Certified Accountant and holds MA in European Literature and Linguistics from Moscow University.
Having grown up in an operatic family, Yana is privileged to have had contact with the world of music from a very young age and experienced firsthand the power of arts in breaking boundaries and uniting people. She is passionate about raising accessibility of music and delighted to support OMF in developing long-term business strategy and growth.
Yana has 20+ years experience in financial services industry. Over the course of her career, she held several roles with Barclays, BlackRock, Merrill Lynch Investment managers and EBRD, where she developed expertise in Business Management, Finance and Service management. Yana is Chartered Certified Accountant and holds MA in European Literature and Linguistics from Moscow University.
Having grown up in an operatic family, Yana is privileged to have had contact with the world of music from a very young age and experienced firsthand the power of arts in breaking boundaries and uniting people. She is passionate about raising accessibility of music and delighted to support OMF in developing long-term business strategy and growth.
Helen Krizos
Trustee
Helen Krizos is currently a Piano Tutor in the School of Keyboard Studies at the Royal Northern College of Music.
As a performer she formed a piano duo with Peter Noke which rapidly established itself as one of the country’s foremost ensembles, broadcasting frequently on BBC Radio 3 and making a number of CD’s for Hyperion. Such was the success of their recording of the Dvorak Slavonic Dances that they were invited to play in the famous Dvorak Hall in Prague. They appeared as soloists with many of the leading orchestras, including the English Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia, Bournemouth Sinfonietta and the BBC Philharmonic. They toured abroad a number of times during which Helen conducted master classes and workshops at major universities and conservatoires.
In Britain Helen’s reputation as a teacher has ensured a steady and growing stream of talented pupils at all levels. A number of her students have gained prizes in both national and international competitions. Helen’s varied and extensive teaching career includes establishing the ‘Music for Kids’ programme for children aged 3-8 and appearing on Granada’s ‘Celebration’ programme as a piano duo coach.
Helen enjoys adjudicating and as a mentor for the Associated Board’s Professional Development Course was the major contributor as setting up the subject-specific course for piano. She currently leads the pedagogy course for undergraduate keyboard students at the RNCM.
Helen Krizos is currently a Piano Tutor in the School of Keyboard Studies at the Royal Northern College of Music.
As a performer she formed a piano duo with Peter Noke which rapidly established itself as one of the country’s foremost ensembles, broadcasting frequently on BBC Radio 3 and making a number of CD’s for Hyperion. Such was the success of their recording of the Dvorak Slavonic Dances that they were invited to play in the famous Dvorak Hall in Prague. They appeared as soloists with many of the leading orchestras, including the English Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonia, Bournemouth Sinfonietta and the BBC Philharmonic. They toured abroad a number of times during which Helen conducted master classes and workshops at major universities and conservatoires.
In Britain Helen’s reputation as a teacher has ensured a steady and growing stream of talented pupils at all levels. A number of her students have gained prizes in both national and international competitions. Helen’s varied and extensive teaching career includes establishing the ‘Music for Kids’ programme for children aged 3-8 and appearing on Granada’s ‘Celebration’ programme as a piano duo coach.
Helen enjoys adjudicating and as a mentor for the Associated Board’s Professional Development Course was the major contributor as setting up the subject-specific course for piano. She currently leads the pedagogy course for undergraduate keyboard students at the RNCM.
Keisha Thompson
Trustee
Keisha Thompson is a Manchester based writer, performance artist and producer, and the Artistic Director and CEO of Contact theatre, Manchester.
As a performer, Keisha has supported artists such as Kae Tempest, Hollie McNish, The Last Poets, Saul Williams, Amiri Baraka and has performed in Brave New Voices festivals 2008 & 2009. Her work has been presented at venues high profile venues and platforms such as Tate Modern, Blue Dot Festival and the British Council Showcase in Edinburgh. Keisha is also the Chair of radical arts funding body, Future’s Venture Foundation, an ITC board member and recipient of The Arts Foundation Theatre Makers Award 2021.
Recent works include children’s show, Issy, BOSSS & Fractal (Fuel Theatre); The Bell Curves (Eclipse, York Theatre Royal and Pilot), an all-female show that clashes science and culture by looking at the medical ethics linked to CRISPR-Cas9 technology; and 14% (Talawa Firsts), an immersive theatre piece looking DNA tests and structural racism particularly within the context British football culture.
Keisha Thompson is a Manchester based writer, performance artist and producer, and the Artistic Director and CEO of Contact theatre, Manchester.
As a performer, Keisha has supported artists such as Kae Tempest, Hollie McNish, The Last Poets, Saul Williams, Amiri Baraka and has performed in Brave New Voices festivals 2008 & 2009. Her work has been presented at venues high profile venues and platforms such as Tate Modern, Blue Dot Festival and the British Council Showcase in Edinburgh. Keisha is also the Chair of radical arts funding body, Future’s Venture Foundation, an ITC board member and recipient of The Arts Foundation Theatre Makers Award 2021.
Recent works include children’s show, Issy, BOSSS & Fractal (Fuel Theatre); The Bell Curves (Eclipse, York Theatre Royal and Pilot), an all-female show that clashes science and culture by looking at the medical ethics linked to CRISPR-Cas9 technology; and 14% (Talawa Firsts), an immersive theatre piece looking DNA tests and structural racism particularly within the context British football culture.
Suki Pardesi
Trustee
Suki Pardesi is a passionate and creative music industry professional specialising in PR/Artist Development and European promotion.
She began her career at PR agency Rogers & Cowan working on media campaigns for artists such as David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Rod Stewart and the first global charity concert “Live Aid”. Later, as a Senior Press Officer for Sky Television, she was responsible for talent and programme publicity across Sky One. She then worked in music PR in LA and New York before returning to the UK to work for Sony Music as an International Promotion Manager, gaining extensive experience of all aspects of the music industry and managing media activity and touring with artists such as Destiny’s Child, Beyonce, Will Smith, Aerosmith, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Ricky Martin, Fiona Apple, Adam Cohen and many others. Her international experience includes managing media for Artists at European Music TV shows and Festivals, the MTV Awards, Midem and Cannes Film Festival.
She devotes a portion of her time to charity projects involving young children and is an advocate of entrepreneurship, which allows her to network and share knowledge with other business owners in various fields. She also enjoys public speaking at local schools giving young people an insight into PR and encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit. At the prestigious Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester she mentors students on the Pop Music Degree course and relishes supporting emerging Artists.
Suki Pardesi is a passionate and creative music industry professional specialising in PR/Artist Development and European promotion.
She began her career at PR agency Rogers & Cowan working on media campaigns for artists such as David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Rod Stewart and the first global charity concert “Live Aid”. Later, as a Senior Press Officer for Sky Television, she was responsible for talent and programme publicity across Sky One. She then worked in music PR in LA and New York before returning to the UK to work for Sony Music as an International Promotion Manager, gaining extensive experience of all aspects of the music industry and managing media activity and touring with artists such as Destiny’s Child, Beyonce, Will Smith, Aerosmith, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, Ricky Martin, Fiona Apple, Adam Cohen and many others. Her international experience includes managing media for Artists at European Music TV shows and Festivals, the MTV Awards, Midem and Cannes Film Festival.
She devotes a portion of her time to charity projects involving young children and is an advocate of entrepreneurship, which allows her to network and share knowledge with other business owners in various fields. She also enjoys public speaking at local schools giving young people an insight into PR and encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit. At the prestigious Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester she mentors students on the Pop Music Degree course and relishes supporting emerging Artists.
Our Trustees
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