Jonathan Harper is the Chief Executive of Paraorchestra, having worked at the charity since it was setup in 2015 and leading it to be one of the major success stories of the UK arts and culture sector. Prior to Paraorchestra he had 20 years experience in the cultural sector that includes a number of leadership roles at national arts organisation such as The Lowry Salford, Wales Millennium Centre and Bristol Old Vic.

Based in Bristol, Paraorchestra creates ambitious, and critically acclaimed orchestral work infused with emotion, innovation and artistry. It performs across a wide mix of places and spaces including concert halls, site-specific performance venues and within communities. Paraorchestra has released two albums, including the 2022 UK number 1 classical album, The Unfolding, and it has won a Broadcast award for its work with Sky Arts.

Paraorchestra events are attended by a diverse, young audience base rarely found at traditional classical concerts. At its heart Paraorchestra provides a platform for professional D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent musicians & composers to perform, at a time when less than 1% of classical musicians in the UK identify as disabled. Over the coming years Paraorchestra’s new artist development programme will support a new generation of disabled artists and cultural leaders in the sector.

www.paraorchestra.com

Twitter/Instagram/Facebook: @paraorchestra

My details: Twitter: @jojoharper / Linked-In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathandharper/