Sarah McWatt (Director - NYMAZ)

Sarah McWatt has been in post as Director of NYMAZ since 2018.

An advocate for connecting with marginalised and under-represented groups, Sarah has led the team to significantly improve engagement with diverse groups of children and young people during her time in post, and to increasingly provide a broad range of inspiring opportunities for early years.

Prior to her current role, Sarah was as Music and the Deaf’s Director of Education. Her previous experience includes education roles with Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Opera North and Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival, as well as event production for Leeds Lieder Festival and TUSK Festival. Before starting a career in arts management, Sarah worked as a music teacher in schools and universities across Yorkshire and Merseyside. She is an active musician and has toured the UK and Ireland extensively over the last 20 years.

NYMAZ is a youth music charity which believes that all children and young people should have access to high-quality music-making opportunities, no matter what their circumstances are or geographic location is. The charity delivers a programme of musical activities across North Yorkshire, in partnership with key strategic organisations, and runs professional networks to support the sector.

NYMAZ has particular specialisms around rural isolation and digital innovation in the delivery of music tuition through its Connect: Resound project, which has been a key part of the organisation’s delivery since 2014. The charity is an advocate for youth voice and provides training, mentoring and professional opportunities for young people, as well as engaging with them in designing programmes of work.

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