Meet our Keynote Speaker for the Music Mark Conference 2026

In November, the Music Mark Conference 2026 on Inclusivity and Relevance in music education is taking place at The Spine in Liverpool. Briana Pegado will deliver our keynote address on Monday 16th November.

Briana tells us more about her work promoting accountability, transparency, and positive impact across the third sector, public sector, and creative industries, and what delegates will learn from this session.

Could you introduce yourself and share a little about your professional background?

My name is Briana Pegado. I am a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and Founder of Good Trouble Co. a space for good troublemakers in the creative industries and beyond. I am a former festival founder and producer and I have spent over a decade working across the creative industries in the UK. I was Director of Fringe of Colour Films, Co-Director of We Are Here Scotland CIC, and Director of Creative Edinburgh. I was also Chair of the Scottish Government’s Independent Culture Fair Work Task Force bringing together leaders in the creative sector from the Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA) to the National Theatre of Scotland to make recommendations to Scottish Ministers on how to implement Fair Work in the cultural sector. I Co-Founded the Black Filmmakers Network (BFCN) in partnership with Glasgow Film Festival and I am the critical friend for NEUK Collective’s Creative Leadership Programme Spectra funded by Creative Scotland, our arts council. I am also the British Film Institute’s Film Audience Network’s (FAN)’s and Film Hub Scotland’s Global Majority Equality Diversity and Inclusion Champion with my two co-founders of BFCN. I am a Career Clinic Advisor for the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Creative Enterprise Development Office where I support students and graduates from the Conservatoire navigating the world of work.

I have worked across the National Theatre of Scotland, Visual Arts Scotland, Creative Lives and Custom Lane – Scotland’s Centre for Design and Making. I am a published author. My book Make Good Trouble: A Practical Guide to the Energetics of Disruption was published in 2024 and translated in French then published by Le Lotus et l’Eléphant in 2025.

I am also an interdisciplinary artist and performer. I studied an MA Sustainable Development at the University of Edinburgh, so all of my work is informed by climate consciousness approaches to our world. I currently specialise in governance and anti-oppressive practices for the charity and social enterprise sector.

Could you give us an overview of the topics you’ll cover in your keynote?

The keynote will explore the impact of AI & Tech, EDI – Access and Inclusion, the future of music education, and the impact of young people and the future of the creative workforce.

What will delegates take away from the session?

Delegates will take away key ideas they may want to consider from my keynote speech, including what their role will be in shaping the future of music and music education across the four nations, how to ethically engage in new technologies, and what impact access will have on music education. As we navigate the emerging themes in our lives with increasing pressures on our planet and more uncertainty around our future, music is more accessible than ever, but how can we work to safeguard music education in the face of changing priorities in our society?

Who is your session likely to be most relevant or valuable for?

My session will be relevant for all music educators and people working with young people that want to consider what is on the horizon for us as educators. It will encourage everyone listening to consider their role in the future of music education and what are some of the emerging opportunities in our rapidly changing cultural sector.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to deliver/support change but is worried about speaking up?

Delivering and supporting change is first about us understanding our values. When we know what is important to us and the world we want to help create, we have a guiding light that helps us focus on our future direction. The art of making music and creating anything is the act of worldbuilding, in order to build that future, we need to have the courage to speak it into existence to find collaborators, co-conspirators and help build systems that help bring these worlds into existence. I know how scary it can be to speak up and I promise that speaking up can be gentle, supportive and delicate.

Don’t miss your chance to catch Briana’s keynote,

as well as many more inspirational talks at the Music Mark Conference 2026 on the 16th and 17th November, in Liverpool. The full programme is available to explore here, and don’t forget to book your tickets now!