Orchestras Live Regional Producer - Midlands, Sooree Pillay, reflects on her "most enjoyable" ABO Conference to date, her key takeaways, and reflections.

The ABO Conference this year was a day full of fascinating discussions and topics, which I found to be important and highly relevant to the environment and context in which we all currently work.

A particularly insightful session explored artistic decision-making and examined who has the authority to make creative decisions — and who those decisions are ultimately made for. It also delved into the structures of arts organisations, considering where power lies and why. I came away with a clearer understanding of how differently organisations operate, a broader perspective on the complexities involved, and insight into alternative models we might draw on for inspiration.

The session on Education, where we heard key insights from the Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, and her fellow panellists, was a stirring call to action on the current state of — and needs within — music education. The sometimes shocking statistics were crucial in framing the session, which nonetheless managed to offer optimism and practical pathways towards solutions.

After lunch, I was deeply engaged in the “Politics and Polarisation” session, listening to panellists share different examples of platforming political views on the orchestral stage. We were reminded that all viewpoints — including, and sometimes especially, those that remain unvoiced — are political decisions in some way.

Overall, I found this to be the most enjoyable ABO Conference I have attended to date, and it left me with much to take back, discuss, and reflect upon with colleagues across the sector throughout the year.