Breaking: Chi-chi steps aside… Chineke tightens safeguarding
OrchestrasTwo important messages are being sent around this morning by Britain’s lavishly funded diversity youth orchestra.
The first, to Chineke musicians and parents, does not mention any change in Chi-chi Nwanoku’s position with the orchestra she founded. It is written by the new interim MD, Mark Higham:
I am writing to introduce myself and our new Chineke! Foundation Chair, Frank Douglas…
I started as Interim Managing Director in December with a brief to review and improve policies and procedures, work on values and developing a respectful and supportive organisational culture. I have a background in music, education and film and working with young people in all three spheres.
I know that Chi-chi last wrote to you in the autumn and after that email there has been quite a lot of news including:
The Arts Council confirmed four year (NPO) funding which is an important investment in the future of the organisation and will enable us to do more
We have agreed with NSPCC to collaborate on new safeguarding policies and training which I will be involved in carrying out (hopefully in April)
We have advertised for a new Learning Manager who we hope will start in the Spring
We are planning Chineke! Junior Orchestra activity once the new training is complete
We also have a new process for reporting any issues or complaints – please email me (mark@chineke.org) and a trustee, Candace Allen (cajuba1@aol.com)
We have a new trustee as Frank mentions in his email, who is Director of Safeguarding & PSHEA at development charity Care International
If you receive unsolicited emails from any former freelancers or members of staff, they are breaching GDPR laws by doing so, and you are under no obligation to respond.
Lastly the Chineke! Orchestra performed with Stormzy at the BRITs on Saturday and here is a link to it on YouTube in case you would find that interesting.
More significant is the following section, buried in the new chairman’s long letter to supporters:
As newly appointed Chair, it is my intent to continue that fantastic growth pattern. To do that will require that we continually review and evolve our organisation and its culture, which is why today, we’re announcing some changes to our leadership team.
Founder of Chineke!, Chi-chi Nwanoku has relinquished her roles as a trustee on the Board, and as Executive Director, so she can focus on the role of Artistic Director, with responsibility for the artistic vision and programme. This will allow Chi-chi to concentrate on what she does best – bringing her passion, creativity and vision to the Foundation. We thank her for the endless and tireless efforts she has undertaken over the last seven yearscombining her managerial and artistic roles. We will be recruiting a Deputy Artistic Director to further support the emphasis on the artistic programme and support for the players…
We are continuing to strengthen the Chineke! Board, and I’m very pleased to announce that Lucy Stoner has been appointed as a Trustee. Lucy has been the Head of People for the Scouts and currently is the Global Director of Safeguarding and Protection from Sexual Harassment, Exploitation and Abuse (PSHEA) for Care International.
This looks like considerable progress in terms of transparency and good governance.
UPDATE: Did Arts Council topple Chi-chi?
‘If you receive unsolicited emails from any former freelancers or members of staff, they are breaching GDPR laws by doing so, and you are under no obligation to respond.’
I’d say that’s the most interesting sentence in the whole thing.
It’s also manifestly incorrect. The organisation is the data controller, therefore it is their responsibility to ensure that their data is secure. If they have given out personal contact data or suffered a breach, it is their duty to report themselves to the ICO and inform those whose data has been compromised.
If former employees have taken data without consent, then that is a different area of law – but would still require the organisation to do the above.
If, as the email suggests, there have been safeguarding issues then that is extremely serious. Depending on the circumstances could represent a risk of legal culpability and liability on the part of the organisation and the board. A fully independent investigation would be the only available course of action.
That suggests that they are expecting one or more of the former freelancers and/or staff to “do a Jeffrey Wynn Davies” (i.e.: start a new group, and encourage Chineke! members to defect). The question of whether such an act is in breach of GDPR depends on whether the connection between the former freelancer/staff is solely and exclusively Chineke!-related (it is not unusual in the music profession for a student and a tutor to agree to stay in touch perfectly legitimately outwith the auspices of the institution through which they worked together).
“Britain’s lavishly funded diversity youth orchestra” – news to me that it’s a youth orchestra. Most of its musicians look significantly older than some of the allegedly school-age asylum seekers.
Despite its massive increase in funding, at the expense of many well-established and valuable contributors to the music and performing arts world, is it still a racially divisive organisation, excluding the majority of the UK population of musicians?
This is why you don’t get nice things…
It is not a youth orchestra. It has never been a youth orchestra. Like most orchestras, it does conduct some educational activities.
Your comment shows exactly why this orchestra is needed
For the life of me I cannot see that an orchestra that selects members by ethnicity can be other than predjudiced against those ethnicities that it choses not to favour. Am I missing something here?
Yes you are missing something. Chineke draws its musicians from many ethnicities, including White Europeans.
Whites are invited for ” extra work ” when no darker people are available…. they cannot audition for a position in the group.
This is incredible and absolutely unacceptable. What a shame.
Chi-Chi can now go back to being a second-rate double bass player. How the not so mighty have fallen…
Salary of 91k a year arguably paid ( by the tax payer) above her skill set.
The ACE took away funding from worthy music organisations; gave £2.1 million to Chineke in full knowledge of the ongoing charities commission investigation into claims of bullying from Nwanoku and her £100,000 salary. She should show some shame and distance her self from the orchestra for the good of the orchestra.
This wholly sorry saga exemplifies absolutely everything that is wrong with classical music and its funding at present. A whole industry now held hostage by the ideological dogma of a vocal few in positions of power.