.THE MUSICIANS' professional body, the Incorporated Society of Musicians, has made three new appointments to its team.
A new Head of Legal & General Services will oversee the Society's legal support to its members; an incoming Head of Finance & Systems will continue to ensure members' value for money; and a new Marketing & Development Manager will lead the drive for even more professional musicians to join the ISM.
The ISM's President for 2007-08, the distinguished accompanist Roger Vignoles, said:
“I'm delighted to welcome three new members of staff to the ISM. Their range of knowledge and experience will be a huge asset to the Society and its members.”
All three come to the ISM with a keen interest in music, and an understanding of the needs of the professional performers, composers and music teachers that make up the Society's membership of over 5,000.
As Head of Legal & General Services, David Abrahams will provide individual legal advice to ISM members on all professional matters, as well as representing musicians' interests in external discussions on rights and intellectual property. David also oversees the provision of the Society's 24-hour Legal, Tax and Counselling Helplines, and ISM members' insurance needs – including the £10m public & employer's liability insurance provided to all Full members.
David (right) comes to the ISM with a strong legal background. He was called to the Bar in 1998 and practised as a barrister at 4 Breams Buildings (now Landmark Chambers) until 2002, specialising in public law, planning and property law. He then spent four years in employed practice as a barrister at the Standards Board for England, the public body promoting high standards of conduct in local government. David is a keen amateur singer, performing in choirs and small vocal groups.
Paola Lanciani (left) takes over as the ISM's Head of Finance & Systems, managing the Society's accounts and those of its benevolent fund. For several years, Paola worked in the Società Italiana degli Autori ed Editori in Rome, first in the Cinema Section, dealing with all financial aspects of royalty intermediation on behalf of film-makers, and later in the Copyright Division, monitoring costs and revenues of the SIAE's core business. She then moved to the UK, gaining an MBA as well as a Postgraduate Diploma in Computing & Information Systems from the University of Ulster.
The ISM's new Marketing & Development Manager is Callum Thomson (right).
His role will be to recruit new members to the Society, manage its
advertising and publicity, and visit universities and conservatoires to
talk about the work of the ISM. Callum comes to the Society from
the BBC, where he worked as a broadcast journalist for BBC Radio
Scotland, writing, broadcasting and producing news programmes. His
musical background is as a pianist - he studied on the joint music
degree course at the University of Manchester and the Royal Northern
College of Music, and has worked for the Hallé and Scottish Ballet as a freelance répétiteur.
His knowledge of systems and databases was gained in successive summers
in the box offices of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Edinburgh
International Festival.
ENDS
Note to Editors: The Incorporated Society of Musicians is the UK’s professional body for musicians. It was founded in 1882 and aims to promote the art of music and uphold the honour and interests of the musical profession by protecting the interests of musicians, raising professional standards, and providing legal advice and other benefits to its members. Its 5,000 members include performers, composers, and music teachers, as well as others involved in the musical profession.
Contact: Callum Thomson, Marketing & Development Manager, t 020 7629 4413 / e callum@ism.org
