Inspire Artist Conference Day

Our Inspire Artist Conference Day is designed for artists – an inspirational day of talks and conversations with 1-2-1 opportunities to connect with funders and industry specialists.

This is an opportunity to meet leading artists and industry professionals, hear about their practice and careers, ask questions and make connections to help you develop your career.

“It’s better than a briefing-style talk where the specialist talks and we listen passively. I can ask questions as they come to my head, which leads to deeper conversation and deeper understanding.”

“Attending something like this is always a joy in terms of who you meet and there’s always some learning”

FREE to attend and open to artists at every level. Lunch is provided with registration.

How to register

Complete this registration form.

Event details

Where: The Gregson Centre
When: Friday 12 September, 11.00am
Duration: 5 hours
Tickets: Free

Programme

11.30am – arrivals & tea & coffee

11.45 – 13.15 – Artistic Identity w/ Oli Bentley, Split Design
A deep dive into visual identity and album artwork by designer Oli Bentley, with insight into the design process for album campaigns — from unsigned acts to some of Jazz’s biggest names.

Explore the key principles of approaching the creation of album artwork and visual identity for creative music and jazz, plus insight and a behind the scenes look at the creation of some key album designs. Including Q&A and discussion around artistic identity.

13.15 – 14.30 – Lunch & 1:1 sessions

Dan Jones (PRS for Music)

Jay Auty (Help Musicians)

Lily Blakeney Evans (Sentric)

Rebecca Coughlan (Worthwhyle Marketing)

Heather / Helena (Jazz North)

14.30 – 16.00 – Roundtable discussions – Bryony Jarman-Pinto & James Mainwaring
Small group discussions on the challenges of careers in the music industry in current times, one led by James Mainwaring and one led by Bryony Jarman-Pinto.

James, this year’s Artist in Residence at Lancaster Jazz Festival, saw success with Mercury nominated Roller Trio, and has built on that experience throughout his career, with various projects and live performances including current project The Exu. Alongside his live performance and band work, he’s a lecturer at Leeds Conservatoire.

Bryony, who performed a sold out performance at Lancaster Jazz Festival in 2024. Lancaster based, singer, songwriter and musician, Bryony draws inspirations from her soul and folk. With multiple releases and broad touring experience, Bryony has a magnetic presence in the music scene.

16.00 – 16.30 – Wrap up of the day & musical offering from Faye MacCalman

17.00 – Lancaster History
A walking tour exploring Lancaster’s history with the transatlantic slave trade with Professor Alan Rice, Director of the Institute for Black Atlantic Research.

Speaker bios

Oli Bentley

Oli Bentley is a multi award-winning designer and founder of design studio Split. His work in music focuses on album cover design and identity design for alternative and instrumental music.  He works predominantly with both UK jazz label Edition Records (Chris Potter, Donny McCaslin, Joe Webb, Sultan Stevenson, John Patitucci, Sun-Mi Hong, Miho Hazama, Mark Guiliana, Nils Petter Molvær, Fergus McCreadie, Frida Touray, Eyolf Dale, and Ben Wendel) and The Leaf Label (Szun Waves, Lawrence Pike, Matthew Bourne, Comet is Coming, Snapped Ankles, Craven Faults). He has also worked with a number of other independent and signed artists as well as Universal Music/Island Records, Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records and Cooking Vinyl and has made the covers, packaging and campaign artwork for hundreds of records. Once upon a time, Oli designed Dizzy Rascal’s website… though no one is quite sure why.

Alongside Split, Oli runs the world record-holding People Powered Press, making giant hand-printed murals with community groups.

Faye MacCalman

Described as ‘one of the most envelope pushing jazz artists today’ (Crack Magazine), Faye MacCalman is a performer, improviser and songwriter on saxophone, clarinet, voice and electronics, based in Newcastle upon Tyne. Faye’s music blends songs and improvisations inspired by feminism, playful magical realism and emotional honesty with avant-jazz, electronica and art-pop, with a particular focus on shining a light on lesser told stories.

Faye is bandleader of acclaimed jazz-art-rock trio Archipelago, and in 2023-24 Faye was artist in residence at The Glasshouse ICM. In 2022 Faye created ‘Invisible Real’; an audiovisual performance fusing anonymous experiences of mental illness with ‘floating’ projections and otherworldly original compositions. Invisible Real debuted at Cheltenham Jazz Festival to over 600 visitors, and most recently evolved into an expanded full band show at The Glasshouse ICM.

Faye is working towards her debut album as a solo artist, scheduled for release in 2026. Earlier this year Faye was invited to support progressive folk hero Richard Dawson on a number of UK tour dates, playing her largest solo shows to date. Faye has performed and/or collaborated with Arun Ghosh, Richard Dawson, Jas Kayser, David Brewis (Field Music) and Maximo Park.

“Moving…I lost myself” – Huw Stephens, BBC6 Music

James Mainwaring

James Mainwaring is an acclaimed saxophonist whose work transcends genre boundaries and contemporary jazz. A Mercury Prize-nominated musician, Mainwaring gained international recognition as a founding member of the trailblazing Roller Trio, whose dynamic fusion of jazz, rock, and electronic influences earned widespread acclaim.

Mainwaring’s artistry is marked by fearless experimentation and technical mastery. His inventive use of multiphonics, circular breathing, and singing while playing has drawn praise from The Guardian, which described him as “a resourceful exponent of John Zornian squealings, growling split-note sounds, and almost-romantic tenor rumination.” Lauren Laverne has noted his “awesome sax skronk skills.”

A versatile collaborator, Mainwaring has worked with artists as diverse as Django Django, Nduduzo Makhathini, John Law, and Jamil Sheriff, bridging genres and pushing creative boundaries. His current projects include The Exu, an avant-garde jazz trio exploring raw improvisation and innovative composition.

Bryony Jarman Pinto

Lancaster-based singer and songwriter Bryony Jarman Pinto blends jazz, soul and folk influences into music full of warmth, intricacy and emotional honesty. With support from BBC 6 Music, Jazz FM and Gilles Peterson, and recent appearances at Manchester Jazz Festival, Jazz Café London and Pizza Express Jazz Club, Bryony is fast becoming one of the UK’s most exciting voices.

Lily Blakeney Edwards

Lily Blakeney Edwards is an Artist Liaison Assistant at Sentric Music, a music publisher which represents over 400,000 artists across the globe. With 5 years of experience working as a music journalist, as well as operating as a musical artist and vocalist, Lily has an extremely well-rounded background in Music and a truly unique perspective within the music industry. Within the year she has worked with Live Nation and Big Indie Records, as well as given lectures at The University of Leeds, and Leeds Beckett University.

Daniel Jones

Based in Manchester, Daniel Jones is a Writer Relationship Manager at PRS for Music and is a key point of contact for its members around the world, from high profile songwriters with longstanding involvement within the music industry to the latest emerging talents.

Daniel’s role is to engage with songwriters, composers, publishers, music educators, organisations and professionals in order to raise awareness and a better understanding of PRS for Music and increase the value of distributions to its membership.

Daniel is a frequent speaker at industry conferences across the UK and has a history of working in music publishing. He was a member of the founding Sheffield City Region Music Board, is currently a member of the Manchester Music City Steering Group and is on the Leeds School of Music’s Industrial Advisory Board.

As a keen musician, Daniel has played guitar and bass in a number of punk and hardcore bands and well as a writer who has contributed to a number of websites, fanzines and media outlets.

Jay Auty

Classically trained Mezzo-Soprano Jay Auty worked professionally in Opera both as a performer and a teacher for over 20 years. Off stage Jay worked closely with musicians and performers at WAAPA the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts as their Concerts Officer and Short Courses Co-Ordinator, facilitating 300 Performances a year, both on campus and off and coordinating the short-courses Programme for both teacher and students.

Since arriving in London Jay has worked at the British Museum, Drama Studio London and for the last 5 years at Help Musicians in Health and Welfare, most recently with the Engagement Team.  A front facing position of the charity which helps musicians facilitate the application process, assisting musicians in crisis or seeking support with our Creative Programme.

Jay is passionate about music and musicians and feels she has a unique perspective which compliments her work with the charity having worked in the industry both on and off stage.

Lancaster Jazz Festival is made possible by