Labour politician and life peer Baroness Thangam Debonnaire is among four new trustees appointed by The Glasshouse International Centre for Music.
Peterborough-born Baroness Debonnaire sits on the Labour benches in the House of Lords after losing her Bristol seat to the Greens in the 2024 general election.
She was, briefly, shadow arts and heritage minister under Jeremy Corbyn and then, under Keir Starmer, shadow secretary of state for culture, media and sport for 10 months before leaving the Commons.
Before taking on the latter role, she admitted never having attended a football or rugby match but she knows about music, having attended Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester and trained as a cellist at the Royal College of Music.
She still plays the cello – as an amateur – and as well as being chief executive of the UK Opera Association sits on the board at Sadler’s Wells, the London dance theatre.
Welcoming her new appointment, she said: “I had the great pleasure of watching The Glasshouse being built two decades ago and followed it closely ever since.
“I have been thrilled to see how it contributes to the musical and civic life of Gateshead and the nation.
“It’s an honour and a pleasure to be asked to contribute my skills as well as my love of the institution and what it’s doing.”
Joining her on the board at The Glasshouse will be:
Arit Eminue, a facilitator, coach and speaker with experience of skills development and leadership in the music industry, including for Universal, Sony and the BBC, and founder of All Things People & Talent which specialises in human resources.
Philip Keller who spent 33 years in finance before leaving the corporate world in 2019 to focus on music. He sits on various arts boards, including that of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and is studying for a PhD in musicology at Durham University where he studied economics as an undergraduate in the 1980s.
Ian Shipley, a senior international and consultancy partner at management consultancy Oliver Wyman, specialising in data, AI and business transformation.
Fraser Anderson, CEO of The Glasshouse, said: “We have enormous ambitions for The Glasshouse and for what music can achieve in the North East and beyond.
“We’re building on two remarkable decades of achievement but also looking ahead to a period of significant creative growth, new opportunities for young people and the biggest investment in our iconic building since opening.
“I’m hugely grateful to everyone who has served on The Glasshouse board to date. It’s an extraordinary act of service to dedicate time and commitment to the flourishing of a cultural organisation.
“Our four new trustees will share their collective experience across music, business and public life, and I’m delighted they are joining us at such a pivotal time.”
Andy Haldane, chair of the board, said: “Culture helps places thrive. We know that it sparks ideas, brings people together and gives communities pride in where they live and more confidence in the future.
“Those are foundations on which a successful economy is built.
“The North East has enormous creative potential and it’s a pleasure to welcome our new trustees at a time when The Glasshouse is at the forefront of unlocking that potential: by nurturing talent, connecting people and giving the region a stage on which to show the world what it can do.
“As a board, our job is to bring energetic support to that ambition and ensure more people have the chance to be part of it.”