ABOUT
THE NCEM
Who are we?
Driven by 50 years of knowledge, trusted networks and a reputation for excellence and inclusivity at its heart, the National Centre for Early Music nurtures the next generation of composers and performers whilst providing an accessible, welcoming and affordable destination for audiences and communities to discover nationally and internationally significant artists from its stunning Grade I listed home in York and in partnership across the UK and abroad.
We believe in using music to uplift, connect, and inspire. Our mission is to:
- Champion NCEM as a hub of artistic excellence, where creativity is embraced and audiences experience varied and inspiring performances.
- Celebrate diversity by curating a vibrant programme that reflects the richness of a wide range of musical genres.
- Shine a spotlight on early music, through our flagship festivals that honour tradition while embracing modern creative practice.
- Nurture wellbeing, using music as a trusted tool to support, connect, and strengthen communities.
- Break down barriers, offering inclusive learning and participation opportunities that challenge historic and systemic inequities and open doors.
- Inspire the next generation, igniting passion for music in young people through play, education, composition and performance.
- Empower artists, supporting career pathways at all levels, with a special focus on those specialising in early music.
- Forge partnerships, locally and globally, with those who share our values and vision.
- Safeguard St Margaret’s, ensuring our historic space continues to be a place of discovery, creativity, and joy for future generations.
Our Values
All our work is guided through our core values which are: welcoming, excellence, integrity, authenticity, quality and ambition.
The Principles underpinning our Arts Council Investment
As an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation 2023-2026, the NCEM is committed to delivering the Arts Council's Investment Principles of Inclusivity & Relevance, Ambition & Quality, Environmental Responsibility, and Dynamism. Our ambitions over the three year funding period (2023-2026) are:
Inclusivity & Relevance
To engage with diverse artists in a range of genres reflecting the diversity of our community, developing an inclusive mindset within our teams in order to welcome people from a wider range of backgrounds to the NCEM. Success will be a wider range of voices involved and engaged in our work.
Ambition & Quality
To develop a cycle around our established evaluation process; setting ambitions, interrogating results and building outcomes into planning. To engage with new audiences by understanding perceptions from those outside our community. Success will be a planning cycle and plans developing new audiences.
Environmental Responsibility
To better understand our data and share our carbon-reduction intentions across the NCEM and our audiences. We will partner in the city-wide sustainability focussed group of NPOs who support council net zero goals. Success will be a full decarbonisation plan by the end of the funding period.
Dynamism
As a small & specialised team we will continue to develop our resilience, creativity & innovation. We will strengthen links with Higher Education partners to build our knowledge and skills and share these across the sector. Success will be a recognition of NCEM as a hub for creative innovation.
Delma Tomlin MBE
Director
Cherry Fricker
Executive Director
Dr Christopher Roberts
Operations Manager
Amelia Berridge
Artist Development Manager
Effie Millar
Audience Manager
Vicki Sumner
Finance Officer
India Ashberry
Events Coordinator
TRUSTEES
Phil Wood (Chair)
Phil worked for the NHS for over 30 years as a doctor, consultant and medical leader in Newcastle, Birmingham and Leeds, most recently as Chief Executive of Leeds Teaching Hospitals and Chair of the Leeds Academic Health Partnership. He is a member of the International Advisory Board of the Business School at the University of Leeds and a longstanding York resident with a passionate belief in the contribution of the arts and culture in enhancing societal wellbeing.
Menna McGregor
Menna was Clerk to the Mercers' Company from 2008 to 2015, having previously spent 13 years working at the National Theatre. Menna holds a number of trusteeships including The Royal Ballet School and the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama. Previous trusteeships include Wilton’s Music Hall, the Shakespeare Schools Foundation and the National Foundation for Youth Music.
Lorna Clayton-Rawle
Lorna has worked in the arts and heritage sectors for nearly two decades and for the last 10 years has been a fundraiser supporting a diverse range of organisations including the Royal Armouries, Cast in Doncaster and the Tetley in Leeds. She is now a Senior Fundraising Manager for the Science Museum Group, specialising in Trusts and Foundations income and based at the National Railway Museum in York from where she has the privilege of working on multi-million pound projects across the organisation's multiple museums.
Dr Anita Datta
Anita is a musician, researcher, composer and educator from the East Riding of Yorkshire. She is currently a Research Associate at Guildhall School of Music & Drama investigating audience experiences of artistic performances within the Immersive Opera research project. She received her doctorate in Social Anthropology from the University of Durham, and is an alumna of conducting programmes at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, the Royal Opera House, and the Royal Philharmonic Society. Anita continues to deliver freelance projects alongside her direction of The Swan Consort.
Dr Simon Procter
Simon is a music therapist and music sociologist. He is Director of Converge and Professor in the School of Arts at York St John University, and previously Director of Music Services for the music therapy charity Nordoff and Robbins, overseeing their education, research and public affairs work. He has worked as a music therapist in a wide variety of settings, publishes about people’s engagement with music in both English and Polish, and contributes to the training of music therapists in the UK and abroad.
Paul Tyack
Paul is Director of Advancement at Newcastle University and was recently Head of Institutional Philanthropy at the University of York, having held previous roles at the Anne Frank Trust UK, Shoreditch New Deal for Communities Trust, Family Rights Group and Barnardo’s. Paul was a chorister at New College, Oxford, studied Music at the University of York and now sings regularly with the Ebor Singers.
Dominic Wallis
Dominic is a Heritage Consultant at Caroe Architecture Ltd. His work includes the authorship of conservation management plans, heritage impact assessments and statements of significance for clients including Historic England, the National Trust and English Heritage. He has consulted on a wide variety of buildings, many of international significance, including York Minster, Hardwick Hall (Derbyshire), St Paul's Cathedral, Trinity College (Cambridge), Blickling Estate (Norfolk) and King's College Chapel (Cambridge).
In addition, Dom is a professional singer and is currently an Associate Artist with Tenebrae (2024-2026). He trained as a Chorister at Bristol Cathedral and as a Choral Scholar at York Minster, alongside his undergraduate studies at the University of York. He then worked as a Lay Clerk at Clare College during his masters degree at the University of Cambridge and as a Lay Clerk at Ely Cathedral. Alongside performing, Dom assists with singing workshops in primary schools and coaches on summer singing courses.
PATRONS
Philip Ashton and Blair Wallace
Gavin Atkins and Philip Stokes
Gill Barker
Richard Browne
Lesley Clark
Ros Clayton and Martin Higginson
Deirdre Evans
Vivien Flynn
Marilyn Fricker
Ron and Beryl Gatenby
Rex Godby
Peter and Sue Goold
John Gray
Howard Gregg
Joan Guenault
Jane Hanstock and Keith Adkins
Geoff Hutchings
Jennifer James
Joan and Allan Jarvis
John Keel
Jonathan and Rebecca Lacey
Miriam and Joe Leigh
John Marvin
John Morgan
Paul Murphy and Ellen Roberts
Elisabeth Murray
Amanda Naylor
Susan Palmer
Anne Pugh
Gillian Pugsley
Antje R-R
Andrew and Margaret Scott
Mike and Trish Taylor
Deborah Trebilco
Liza Verity and Christopher Gray
Phil & Sally Wood