Chair of National Centre for Music

 Carol Main appointed as Chair of National Centre for Music

The Edinburgh Music Review is delighted to hear about Carol Main’s appointment as Chair of the new National Centre for Music. She has been on the board of the centre since 2023. With more than 40 years’ experience in the music industry, Carol is a passionate advocate for Scotland’s music sector and brings deep experience of developing partnerships and programmes to inspire through music.  

The founding Director of Live Music Now Scotland, Carol retired from her full-time role as CEO earlier this year, after celebrating the charity’s 40th birthday. She was also founding director of the National Association of Youth Orchestras UK and has served on multiple boards, including Creative Scotland, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, the Association of British Orchestras, Voluntary Arts Scotland and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society. She is currently Chair of ‘The Night With…’ and a board member of the European Federation of National Youth Orchestras. As a writer, she is classical music editor of ‘The List’ and a reviewer for The Scotsman. She has also been a supportive adviser to the Edinburgh Music Review since it began publication in 2020.

Carol, originally from Fife and a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, has enjoyed performing across a range of music throughout her life and is currently an active choral singer. She was awarded an MBE for services to music in 2015 and a Fellowship of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in 2023.

Many congratulations to Carol on this appointment. I hope to talk to her soon about the job and to learn more about the plans for the National Centre for Music, whose completion date, under the auspices of the Royal High School Preservation Trust, is due on 2027.