Access All AreasSaxophonist, broadcaster and venue owner YolanDa Brown has been announced as the artist ambassador for next year’s Independent Venue Week (IVW), which will run from 27 January to 2nd February.
As part of the IVW initiative, which is due to involve more than 200 UK venues, Brown will present a show celebrating the music of Bob Marley at her Soul Mama venue on 1 February. Other acts to preform include Ibibio Sound Machine, Gilles Peterson, The Bug Club, Dodgy, The Blockheads, C Duncan, Lizzie Esau + Dirty Blonde, and Do Nothing.
Former IE Music and Arts Council England exec Gabby Chelmicka has taken on the role of IVW head of operations and partnerships, with its organisers also announcing partners ncluding Arts Council England, Beavertown, TuneCore, PPL, Rockbox and the Welsh Government via Creative Wales.
Brown is currently serving as chair of the BPI, an ambassador for the King’s Trust and the London Music Fund, and as a trustee of the PRS Foundation, as well as beng on the National Council at Arts Council England and a board member London Philharmonic Orchestra. She is also a trustee of Independent Venue Community, the new charity established by Independent Venue Week in 2024.
Previous IVW Artist Ambassadors have included 2024 Mercury Prize winners English Teacher, as well as Wet Leg, Beabadoobee, Philip Selway, Arlo Parks, Anna Calvi and Wolf Alice.
IVW founder and CEO Sybil Bell said, “We’ve been incredibly fortunate to have a really broad range of IVW ambassadors over the years including those at the start of their careers to household names, as well as a wide range of genres. This year, with YolanDa, we’re honoured to not only have such an accomplished musician but also an esteemed industry figure and new venue owner.”