Katherine Zeserson
is a strategic consultant, musician , writer, coach, facilitator and trainer. She works at the intersections between creative process, social transformation, leadership culture, personal insight and impact.
Since 2015 she has developed a varied free-lance portfolio combining long term organisational and leadership development in the cultural and voluntary sectors; facilitation and direction of consultative processes; creative practice as a musician and writer; one to one coaching and mentoring; short-term strategic advisory work, speaking engagements and guest lecturing.
in 2021, organisational clients include Music Generation (Ireland), Britten Pears Arts (UK), European Concert Halls Organisation, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, North Yorkshire Music Action Zone, Wicklow County Council and Royal Opera House (UK) – Thurrock Trailblazer.
She is an Associate Coach with Koreo Ltd working on the Big Local Community Leadership Academy; and holds a consultancy role with Santa Marcelina Cultura (Sao Paulo, Brazil). She is Co-Founder and Chair of Sing Up Ltd., and Co-Director of Harmony Associates.
Individual coaching clients currently include leaders of cultural institutions, artists, community activists and executives within the voluntary sector. She is a founder member of UK-based a cappella vocal quartet Mouthful (www.mouthfulway.co.uk) whose work spans performance, song creation and community projects. s.
WORK HISTORY
2006 – 2015 Director of Learning and Participation (L&P), Sage Gateshead
Strategic design, direction and delivery of regional, national and international L&P programme, responsible for a budget of c £4 million per annum and a staff of c. 120 (musicians and administrators). Joint responsibility for the company’s artistic direction alongside the Director of Performance Programme. Significant achievements included securing £2 million from Department for Education for Sage Gateshead to become a UK National Music Manifesto Pathfinder (2006 - 2010); conceiving and delivering the Workforce Development strand of Sing Up, the £40 million UK national singing programme (2007 - 2012), then in 2012/13 securing Sing Up as an independent company when government funding ended; establishing the UK’s first BA in Community Music in partnership with University of Sunderland.
2001 - 2006 Director of Community Music, Sage Gateshead
Collaborating across the company to create and manage Sage Gateshead’s Learning and Participation Programme up to and through the transition into the building; the pre-opening programme including CoMusica, a region-wide participation programme specifically targeting vulnerable young people; and the Community Music Traineeship, an ESF supported programme for young music leaders.
1984 – 2000
- First Community and Education Advisor to Royal Northern Sinfonia
- First Music Development Worker for Them Wifies community arts collective
- Free-lance community music, guest lecturing and performance
1980-84
- First Music Worker at White Lion St. Free School, London
- Free-lance community music and performance
PUBLICATIONS
The Magnificent Territory - pausing to reflect on a lifetime of working with people and music will be published in the 2021 special edition of the International Journal of Community Music. In 2020, Katherine collaborated with Dr. Dave Camlin and Dr. Helena Daffearn on Group singing as a resource for the development of a healthy public: a study of adult group singing, published with @Springer Nature. In 2017 she co-authored chapters in the Oxford Handbook of Community Music (with Dr. Dave Camlin) and the Oxford Handbook of Policy and Research in Music Education (with Prof. Graham Welch). In 2014 she led the research project commissioned by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation resulting in the publication of Inspiring Music for All, with Prof. G. Welch, Dr. E. Himonides and Dr. J. Saunders. She has sole authored chapters in Debates in Music Education (Routledge 2012), Making Music in the Primary School (Routledge 2011), A Practical Guide to Teaching Music in the Secondary School (Routledge 2009), and the Community Music Handbook (Russell House 2005).
EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS
- RD1st Advanced Coaching (December 2017)
- RD1st Coaching (December 2016)
- M.A (Distinction) Creative Writing, Northumbria University 1998 – 2000
- B.A. (2:1) Philosophy/Psychology, Exeter University 1976 – 1979
- Secondary school at Dartington Hall School (Foxhole), Totnes, Devon
- Primary school in New York, USA and County Sligo, Ireland
CURRENT BOARD AND COMMITTEE POSITIONS
- Chair Sing Up Ltd. Board
- Chair Blackhall Mill Community Association
- Co-Director Harmony Associates
- Member Dash Arts UK Board of Trustees