Dear friends,
I am delighted to announce that we have a new member of the CCT board who has joined us as a trustee. We welcome Dr Emily Sayers with her wealth of experience both in music education and as a trustee for another musical charity encouraging access to music.
Roshna Ahmad
Hello from the newest member of the CCT trustee ensemble! I’m Emily, and I’m delighted to be joining the Board of Trustees at Canterbury Cantata Trust.
In my working life I am a Senior Lecturer in Music Education at Canterbury Christ Church University, but much of my work revolves around a simple question: what is it about music that enables it to connect people, shape identities, support wellbeing and create such powerful shared experiences? That question has taken me from classrooms and rehearsal spaces across the country to music schools and family homes in North India, where I spent several years researching how young musicians learn to improvise within an oral singing tradition. Along the way, I have become fascinated by the ways music helps us to listen, remember, belong and connect with one another.
What drew me to CCT was its belief that singing can be a medium for care, connection and positive change. I particularly admire the way the Trust has developed a range of programmes that respond to the needs of different communities, recognising that meaningful musical experiences are not created through a one size fits all approach. When I attended CCT’s performance of Bach’s St Matthew Passion in March 2026, I was blown away by both the quality of the music making and the warmth of the community that surrounded it. It felt like an organisation where artistic excellence and genuine care for people sit side by side.
Outside of work, music remains a huge part of my life. I play both violin and viola and have recently performed with ensembles including Maidstone and Medway Symphony Orchestra, Lambeth Orchestra, Bradstow Music and the University of Kent Symphony Orchestra and String Sinfonia. When I’m not making music, you’ll often find me running or strength training. Having completed the York Marathon in 2025, I am now training for the London Marathon 2027, where I hope to raise funds for the Evie Dove Foundation. If you happen to meet me at a quiz night in Canterbury, there’s a good chance I’ll be campaigning for more classical music questions, or perhaps just quietly moaning when there aren’t any!
I previously served as a trustee for Orchestras for All, which has become a National Portfolio Organisation for the Arts Council. They are a charity committed to widening access to high quality music making for young people, and I am excited to bring that experience to CCT. I was also incredibly grateful for the warm welcome I received from Roshna and my fellow trustees at my first board meeting in June. I look forward to meeting many of you over the coming months and supporting the Trust’s wonderful mission of “Caring through singing”.
Dr Emily Sayers
