The Cheltenham Festivals Access to Music Conference 2025 will take place on Thursday 1 May.
The event, which takes place at HubX, Cheltenham, opens at 9am with an introduction by former Conservative health secretary Andrew Lansley, followed by a keynote address by Suzanne Bull MBE – 'No access for disabled people on a dead planet'. A second address, in the afternoon, will be given by Dr Rhoda Bernard, Founding Managing Director of the Institute for Accessible Arts Education and the Assistant Chair of Music Education at Berklee College of Music in Boston.
A first panel discussion Youth Music CEO Matt Griffiths, will examine the current state of the grassroots ecosystem and where disabled artists can find their voice; a second – Researching accessibility to the live music industry for audiences who are d/Deaf, disabled or neurodivergent – will be delivered in partnership with researchers from the Association for Events Management Education (AEME) and will be chaired by Adrian Bossey from Falmouth University.
The afternoon programme includes roundtable sessions on a range of topics including Adapted Instruments in Music Education; Access to Live Performance Opportunities; Policy Priorities; and Accessible Music Notation. A presentation by TiME will include the latest on haptic technologies tested in 2024.
Participation in the conference is free, but tickets should be obtained beforehand. The event will also be free to access online. Further details can be found here.
