Trustees
Our objectives:
To advance education about, promote public appreciation of, and encourage participation in, the art of opera and singing for the public benefit by;
· Developing singing at all levels from amateur to professional standard
· Encouraging emerging professional singers to find new approaches to the rehearsal and performance of opera
· Developing new audiences for opera, music recitals and concerts with innovative, inclusive and accessible performances
· Promote singing for mental and physical health for all
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Joao Figueiredo, Chair
Joao is a well-rounded management consultant with a background in governance and organisational change. Experienced in managing and delivering complex consultancy projects, he works with senior leadership across government and public sector to achieve effective and sustainable outcomes.
With an academic background in international development, Joao has experience in the not-for-profit sector. He worked with the UNDP in Cambodia, where he oversaw the landmines programme clearance programme’s M&E processes; and for International Service UK, where he was part of a development programme focused in Ghana. As part of the University of York’s Post-war Reconstruction and Development Unit (PRDU), Joao conducted research in Kosovo on themes of reconciliation and development.
A strong believer in the power of the arts in driving community and human development Joao is very keen to work with community-based organisations to help democratise the arts and support young professionals to build their portfolios.
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Laurelle Hughes, Deputy Chair
Laurelle Hughes is a proud DFLer, having moved from London to St Leonards-on-Sea in 2021.
She is a professional PA with business experience in commercial and other industries, including creative environments, and is passionate about the arts in all forms. For 10 years, she provided freelance business administration services including management board/committee administration and governance whilst implementing best practice procedures.
In addition, Laurelle is an Advisory Board member of 18 Hours Ltd who deliver local events and education with a focus on global citizenship and diversity.She fulfils her varied interests by participation in wide-ranging local events and causes, including membership of local KIN choir.
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Elizabeth Allen, Trustee
It was Elizabeth’s first job, working as a music critic on an evening newspaper in South Wales, covering events which ranged from a recital by Arthur Rubinstein to a school production of The Sound of Music that showed her the importance to the wider community of making and listening to music. Having moved to Hastings twenty years ago, she has been delighted to witness and, through Barefoot Opera, be involved in, the growth of the music scene in the town. As a director in environmental organisations, she was respon-sible for the development of educational projects, working with schools, national and lo-cal government and corporate sponsors and recognised that projects are only sustaina-ble when those involved feel ownership of them. Her later career was as a university lec-turer in literature and cultural studies.
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Laura Mucha, Trustee
An enthusiastic amateur singer and erstwhile pianist, Laura’s engagement with Barefoot Opera began in 2021, when she took part in Bloom Britannia. This sparked her love of community singing and performance as she experienced, first hand, the joyful, positive difference that Barefoot Opera makes.
Professionally, Laura’s background is in insight-led consulting, data analytics and digital transformation. As a business leader, her remit spans strategic, commercial and operational functions. She’s been fortunate to work across multiple sectors, spending the last decade supporting healthcare organisations to bring new treatment options to patients. She is also a trustee of Age UK East Sussex.
Proud to call Hastings home, Laura is passionate about championing its inclusive, free-spirited and hugely talented cultural and artistic scene!
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Mary Long, Trustee
Mary had an international career in sales and marketing for global IT suppliers before becoming a headhunter and then a management consultant specialising in leadership and human capital. She has worked at the most senior levels across multiple industries and became a trusted advisor to main board directors. Latterly she has run her own companies supplying coaching and c-suite consultancy services to blue chip clients, notably in the financial services sector.
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David Rogers, Trustee
“David started his career as a consultant with a large accounting firm, advising substantial corporations which had got into financial difficulties, including a railway operating company and another constructing offshore wind farms. Later he was engaged to develop a strategic plan for public services across Stoke and Staffordshire.
After supporting family members with mental health problems, he moved over to the NHS and chaired a poorly performing mental health trust, which grew and improved, and was eventually judged the best NHS trust in the country. His wider involvements, which were taken with a view to connecting mental health support more widely, included being a trustee at a Wildlife Trust and a large further education college in Staffordshire.
David now lives in St Leonards and is a trustee at Hastings Contemporary and at St Michael’s Hospice in St Leonards. His ambition is to encourage outreach across arts organisations to enrich all parts of society, but particularly those suffering hardship and deprivation.”
