Council and Committees

Hands holding different pieces of a jigsaw puzzle

Council and Committees

The RMA is governed by its Council, with much of the day-to-day running organised through sub-committees of the Council. We have developed a quick start guide for new members of Council.

How Council is made up

Council consists of a President, five Vice Presidents, the immediate past President, the Honorary Treasurer, and between seven and ten Ordinary Members. Council members are appointed for a three-year term, except for the Honorary Treasurer who is elected annually.

Elections and Standing for Election

Any member of the RMA can be nominated to stand for election as an Ordinary Member of Council. Elections are held annually with the results announced at the Annual General Meeting each September. See standing for election for more details.

Council Members

Council members, elected by the membership, are Directors of the company and Trustees of the charity. The current Council members are listed below.

A number of others are invited to attend meetings of Council (but are not Directors/Trustees and therefore do not hold a vote). These are: the Chairs of key Committees; the Officers; the Student Representatives (see the relevant tabs); and the Editors of the Journal of the Royal Musical Association and the RMA Research Chronicle (see https://www.rma.ac.uk/publications/). In addition all past Presidents of the Association are invited to attend.

Barbara Kelly
Simon Keefe,
President (2024-2026)
Valerie James,
Honorary Treasurer
Barbara Kelly, Immediate Past President
(2021-2023)
Caroline RaeLois FitchRebecca Herissone
Caroline Rae
Vice President (to 2029)
Lois Fitch
Vice-President (to 2028)
Rebecca Herissone
Vice-President (to 2027)
Catherine TackleyJonathan Hicks 
Clair Rowden,
Vice President (to 2026)
Catherine Tackley,
Vice President (to 2025)
Jonathan Hicks
Ordinary Member (to 2027)
Michelle Meinhart Nicholas Attfield
Michelle Meinhart
Ordinary Member (to 2027)
Amy Williamson
Ordinary Member (to 2027)
Nicholas Attfield
Ordinary Member (to 2026)
 Erin Johnson-WilliamsNuria Bonet
Amy Blier-Carruthers
Ordinary Member (to 2026)
Erin Johnson-Williams
Ordinary Member (to 2026)
Nuria Bonet
Ordinary Member (to 2025)
Laura HamerAnn van Allen-RussellSue Miller
Laura Hamer
Ordinary Member (to 2025)
Ann van Allen-Russell
Ordinary Member (to 2025)
Sue Miller
Ordinary Member (to 2025)

Committee Chairs

Chair of Awards Committee: Catherine Tackley (Catherine.Tackley@liverpool.ac.uk)

Chair of Events Committee: Clair Rowden (Clair.Rowden@glasgow.ac.uk)

Chair of External Affairs Committee: Simon Keefe (s.keefe@sheffield.ac.uk)

Chair of Finance, Membership and Communications Committee: Lois Fitch (l.fitch@rcs.ac.uk)

Chair of Publications Committee: Rebecca Herissone (Rebecca.Herissone@manchester.ac.uk)

Chair of Search Committee: Caroline Rae (Rae@cardiff.ac.uk)

Full membership of Committees is given on the sub-committees of the Council page.

Other Leadership Roles
  • Music Education Initiative: Steven Berryman
  • Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: Amy Blier-Carruthers and Freya Jarman
  • 150th Anniversary Working Party: Mark Berry
Officers

There are six Officers who provide support to Council in delivering the work of the Association:

Amanda BabingtonMichael BydeDaniel Elphick
Maureen Wolloshin Michelle Assay
  • Michelle Assay, Flagship Conferences Coordinator – Liaises with and supports partner hosts for the RMA Annual Conference and the RMA/BFE Research Students Conference.
  • Amanda Babington, Executive Officer – Deals with the day to day running of the Association.
  • Kerry Bunkhall, Administrator – Organises and takes minutes of RMA meetings, and processes the payment of invoices and expenses.
  • Michael Byde, Digital Technologies Officer – Maintains the RMA website and the online renewal and subscriptions system, edits news items and web features, and supports associated administrative procedures.
  • Dan Elphick, Communications Officer – Supports the RMA’s publicity and communications strategy, manages the RMA social media accounts, and edits the monthly E-Bulletin.
  • Maureen Wolloshin, Student Liaison Officer – Works closely with students who wish to organise RMA-supported study days to develop ideas and plan events.
  • Katherine Williams – Research Training Officer – Works with research students and early-career researchers in Music to coordinate research training activities provided by the RMA and to establish collaborative working with other providers of research training.
Student Representatives
Photograph of Mollie CarlylePhotograph of Maya Ann Morris
Mollie Carlyle,
Student Representative
(January 2023-January 2025)
Maya Ann Morris,
Student Representative
(January 2024-January 2026)