The London Summer Music Academies
Dear Aspiring Musicians,
Welcome to London. I first came to London over 50 years ago as a music student myself. The opportunities to learn, explore and expand your musical skills are unparalleled in London. It is one of the great classical musical centres in the world. The finest talents live here; the great institutions for music like the conservatories, symphony orchestras, and opera companies thrive here; the support industries of publishing, recording, artists management, and promotion are based here. In your ten days with us, you have a small sampling of what London has to offer in addition to the intensive programme of masterclasses and opportunities to perform in our great city. I look forward to sharing with you my adopted home and to share some great music together.
William J Conner, Programme Director
About William J. Conner
William J. Conner has over 40 years’ experience as a senior manager in performing arts and higher education institutions. He has worked as management with broad international experience. Having retired from Oxford in 2019 and again from Cambridge in 2023, he holds an Emeritus Fellowship from Wolfson College, University of Oxford and Life By-Fellowship from Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge. Much of William’s life has been centred around a strong interest in classical music, with a particular expertise in 17th and 18th century keyboard music. As an editor of The New Grove Dictionary of Music, he worked on bibliographical problems, musical instruments and instrument makers. William was a founder of the Boston Early Music Festival in the late 1970s and is currently a trustee of Handel Hendrix House in London and the Voces8 Foundation (London). He is an ambassador for the Purcell School in London and is a non-executive director with Odradek, a Dutch/Italian group looking after the space where classical music meets the digital world.
About Dr. Aaron Xiaolie Qi
Dr. Aaron Xiaolie Qi Global Executive Director of the OSEA Alliance Group. He holds degrees from the University of Cambridge, Peking University, the University of Sydney, and the Central Conservatory of Music, specialising in Music Economics and Arts Management. Dr Qi is a Senior Visiting Scholar at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and holds a Postgraduate Diploma in School Management and International Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is also a member of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce. He serves as a guest editor for EI-indexed journals, a reviewer for SCI journals, and has frequently chaired and hosted international academic conference committees. Dr Qi has extensive professional experience in arts management and international education, having worked with multinational corporations and London-listed companies.