"Once in a lifetime opportunity"

Jo Buckley is to become IMPACT Scotland’s Chief Executive Officer, it was announced today.

Taking up the role on 1 September 2023, Jo will join IMPACT Scotland after five and a half years with the Dunedin Consort. During her tenure the acclaimed Scottish baroque ensemble won its first ever Royal Philharmonic Society and BBC Music Magazine Awards, commissioned its first opera and also developed a thriving learning and participation programme that supports musical development pathways for students of all ages, from early years to nonagenarians.      

Commenting on her appointment, Jo Buckley said:

“The Dunard Centre is a once in a lifetime opportunity to build a musical hub for a city that already hums with artistic possibility and talent, and which is ready to demonstrate to the world what it can do, all day, every day.

“Like many colleagues and peers, I’ve watched the plans for the Centre develop over these past few years, and grown increasingly excited about the possibilities this one-off, intimate space will create: not just for classical musicians, but for artists of all styles, traditions and career stages.       

“This is going to be an inclusive and welcoming place of connection and communication, a place which invites audiences to explore new genres as much as it challenges musicians to expand their repertoire. That creative collision between audience curiosity and artist experimentation is the guiding energy behind all great musical innovation: the chance to set off those reactions is a tantalising prospect and one too good to turn down!”

Ronnie Bowie, Chair of Impact Scotland added:

“We mounted an extensive UK and international search to find the Dunard Centre the outstanding CEO it deserves, and in a strong global field Jo’s extraordinary vision and energy shone through.

“Jo is an exceptional leader with countless strings to her bow: visionary company manager, in-demand music writer and scholar, and tireless champion of emerging musical talent, not to mention an experienced contributor to Scottish arts policy and assessment. Delivering Edinburgh’s first 21^st century venue will require both experience and fresh thinking, and in Jo we’ve found an overwhelming supply of both. We now wish her an energising summer filled with wonderful music-making, and look forward to fanfaring her official start in September.”

Jo concluded:

“It has been an extraordinary privilege to work with John Butt and the wonderful musicians and colleagues that make up the Dunedin Consort, and I’m determined to make the most of every last moment with the team. From our Festival appearances in Cheltenham, York and Spitalfields, to our upcoming BBC Proms performance and French tour, this summer’s programme showcases the quality, breadth and diversity for which the ensemble has become renowned. It’ll be a wrench to leave such fantastic colleagues, but I’m consoled by knowing our paths will cross again, not least in the auditorium of this wonderful new home for music!”