Our Chief Executive recently attended the Beyond 2025 annual conference and reflects on what gives her hope.
Where have I been?
Barbara Eifler, Chief Executive of Making Music, recently attended Beyond 2025, the annual conference of Culture Action Europe (CAE), a lobbying umbrella body in Europe, in her capacity as a Board member of Amateo, the European Network promoting and advocating for participatory arts and culture – formed of many organisations and networks just like Making Music.
Amateo team at the CAE conference. From left to right – Jan-Willem van Kruyssen, Barbara Eifler, Valentina Dačnik, Giorgio Bacchiega.
What gives you hope?
'This was the question we were asked on our conference badge – here are some of my answers after mulling this over for several days...
In Torino, Italy, where the conference took place?
Coffee, the Neopolitan cake we had during the coffee break during the CAE members’ forum, sunshine, discovering there is CAE United Kingdom hub! – see photo below.
CAE gave me hope! They seem to be effective in lobbying and advocacy on behalf of arts and culture, because they have such good knowledge of European institutions and put their members at the heart of all they do. As always, I learnt a lot for my work at Making Music by talking to colleagues from other networks in other countries – new perspectives!
Sermig – one of the places where the conference sessions took place, an organisation that really makes a difference – built from the grassroots, by the people for the people, supporting their community in this marginalised quarter of the city. It calls itself – built in a former weapons factory – an Arsenal of Peace. "Pace" is peace in Italian.'
What gives me hope in my work?
'Making Music members! Self-organised, independent, created by people from the community, to do what they love – their kind of music. Ever inventive and resourceful, and persistent, they don’t give up…
In my life?
Number one: the family including four sons and daughters, of course.
Close second: the bands I am part of – I play cornet in the Crystal Palace Band in London, and trumpet in the Filarmonia Guiseppe Verdi in Laveno, Italy. They bring me such joy and fun – great motivators for the practise I need to put in, as a recent starter on this instrument...'
