Meet our new trustees
7 March 2024
A huge welcome to our new board members who have joined us in the last few months! Here’s a bit more about them…
Cedric Ntumba
A dad of four girls, I am CEO of Little Ashford and Founder of UK edutech group Learner Day. I am Chair of London Bubble Theatre, Member of the Stowe School Parents’ Committee and on the Board of SOAS, University of London. I have previously served as Chair of the South African Ballet Theatre (now Joburg Ballet) for a decade. I am director and trustee of a number of arts and education organisations. I am currently reading for my MBA at the University of Edinburgh’s Business School. The relationship between audiences and the orchestra at Aurora is magical and very unique. I have journeyed through the world of global arts and education for the past 15 years. The opportunity to contribute to Aurora Orchestra’s incredible platforms and unique artists’ journeys is exciting for me as this should create further shifting and memorable experiences for broaden audiences, supporters and communities.
Louise Smith
I am senior civil servant, currently in the role of Director of Strategy at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, but having had a fifteen year career across a number of roles, particularly in education and culture.
I am a keen amateur musician, benefitting from playing in orchestras like the National Children’s Orchestra as a child and more recently the Kensington Symphony Orchestra and the Fulham Symphony Orchestra.
I was first inspired by an Aurora Orchestra performance of Beethoven 9 from memory outdoors in Kings Cross in September 2020. It was a combination of extremely emotional and completely exhilarating engaging with an orchestral performance for the first time since Covid lockdown and seeing the Aurora magic first hand.
As a mum, I have also really enjoyed seeing young children engaged in the Far Far Away concerts, bringing my toddler to both Schumann and Pepper the Monkey in 2022 and Beethoven and the Dinosaurs last year.
James Lawrie
I am an experienced finance professional with a great love of a wide range of music. I am really excited by the prospect of broadening the audience for classical music and by Aurora’s performances from memory.