David Francis - Secretary

After graduating from the University of Kent and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, David’s career started with employment at The Performing Right Society (PRS) in a specialist music copyright department. David moved on to join the management team of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

After 4 years with CBSO, David returned to PRS and led a project which resulted in the formation and launch of the PRS Foundation, which David went on to manage for the following 5 years. The PRS Foundation quickly established itself as the UK’s largest independent funder of new music with a focus on new British music (in any genre). During David’s time at the PRS Foundation the organisation launched and supported many ground breaking initiatives including ‘The New Music Award’, which resulted in Jen Finer’s acclaimed installation ‘Score for a hole in the ground’. 

In October 2005 David was appointed Senior Producer of the Contemporary Music Network (CMN) – a key part of Arts Council England’s commitment to developing and touring contemporary music. During this time David was a key player and project manager for a merger in the new music sector which resulted in a new national development agency for new music called Sound and Music.

Since May 2009 David has been the Director of Arts at Dartington.