Volunteers' Week spotlight: Adam Mathias

As part of Volunteers' Week we're sharing stories of our amazing volunteers who help our member groups to keep making music. Today's featured volunteer is Adam Mathias, Selected Artists Panel Listener and Funding Research Volunteer.

When did you start volunteering for Making Music?

I started in October 2018, so around a year and a half.

What do you do as a Selected Artists Panel Listener?

I attend various concerts by performers seeking to be part of Making Music’s Selected Artists Guide and write reports of them for the selection panel. A wonderful job!

What does your role as a Funding Research Volunteer involve?

To sift through various databases and resources in search of funding opportunities for Making Music members. These are then uploaded to the Find a Funding Opportunity tool in the resources section of the website.

What inspired you to volunteer with Making Music?

I’ve been very lucky to have had great support and encouragement to play music from a young age – a significant part of that was through choirs, orchestras, and other musical ensembles – so I want to make sure others have that same opportunity.

What do you do when you’re not volunteering for Making Music?

Most of my time is spent in a library, writing my PhD on 13th-century music!

Do you play an instrument or sing?

I started off on the piano and cello, but now I’d brand myself primarily as an organist. I’m a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists and keep up an active performance profile as a recitalist and accompanist in London and further afield.

What was the last piece of music you listened to?

I’m always trying to discover and listen to new music. A friend recommended saxophonist Camilla George and her album The People Could Fly, which I think is fab!
 

Read more profiles of Making Music volunteers in our news and blog.

Volunteers' Week runs from 1-7 June and is organised by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).