Trustees, Committee & Patrons
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Committee and trustees
Countess of Sandwich
Chair
The Countess of Sandwich, Caroline Montagu has been involved with Saudi Arabia for 30 years, first as a business and financial writer and more recently studying civil society in Saudi Arabia, women’s issues, social services and the domestic NGO sector. Her most recent publication is a research report for Chatham House on aspects of Saudi civil society; among many others are a report for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the Saudi NGOs and a paper for the Middle East Journal. She has been a Research Associate of the SOAS’ London Middle East Institute, a committee member of the Saudi British Society, on the Saudi British Joint Business Council and an honorary member of the Middle East Association.
Wissam Boustany
Wissam Boustany is an internationally renowned flautist, teacher and peace campaigner. He has had a long association with the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music. In 1995 Wissam founded Toward Humanity, using music as a catalyst to support humanitarian projects. In 1997 he was awarded a knighthood in Lebanon (Chevalier de l’Ordre du Cedre) in recognition of his music and peace work. On 3rd February 1998 he was presented with the Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum. Wissam’s recent interest in conducting led to the launch the Pro Youth Philharmonia in 2018, a professional training orchestra for emerging musicians.
The Rt. Hon Lord Cope of Berkeley FCA
John Cope is a Conservative politician who was an MP from 1974 to 1997 and was then appointed to the House of Lords. From 1979 to 1994 he held various ministerial offices in the Governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major, latterly as Paymaster General at the Treasury. He was later Conservative Chief Whip in the House of Lords. He has a long interest in Palestine where his wife was born. He is a. Patron and Trustee of PalMusic.
Lena Saleh
After studying in Lebanon and at Columbia University in New York, Lena Saleh started her professional career in teacher education with UNRWA in Nablus and Ramallah. She has also served as Director in Special Needs Education in Lebanon and as consultant to the Ministry of Labour and Social Development in Jordan for two years. Lena joined UNESCO Headquarters in Paris from 1979 to 1999 as Senior Education Specialist, Head of Inclusive Education, before she moved to Palestine to work with the ESNCM as Deputy Director for Activities and PR.
Usama Tuqan
Usama Tuqan is a retired Senior Partner of Deloitte & Touche in the Middle East and he was responsible for the offices in Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar. He has also served as Director of Banking Industry in the firm.
SUHA TUQAN
Photo and biography to follow
Agnès Baetens
Jay Crossland
Jay Crossland moved to Palestine from England in 2011 as full-time brass teacher, and after a year as Ramallah branch Academic Supervisor, became Academic Director of the ESNCM in from June 2015 until (2020).
A strong believer in providing quality music education through motivation, some of Jay’s initiatives included the Concerto Competition, where advanced students compete to play a concerto with the Conservatory Orchestra, and the Showcase, giving a platform to junior ensembles and outreach student groups. She has also maintained and developed relationships with musical institutions around the world.
From a family of musicians, Jay played from a young age and trained at Chetham's School of Music and the Royal College of Music in London. She is also a multi-instrumentalist, who performs on bass, piano and violin and works as an arranger and conductor. She is currently freelancing, training as a specialist in musicians’ physical and mental health and has a new role as Director (remotely) of the Musicians' Health and Movement Institute in Oslo.
Viscount Eccles CBE
Photo and biography to follow
John Harte
Photo and biography to follow
NICOLA WOODWARD
Photo and biography to follow
Patrons
The Rt. Hon Lord Cope of Berkeley FCA
John Cope is a Conservative politician who was an MP from 1974 to 1997 and was then appointed to the House of Lords. From 1979 to 1994 he held various ministerial offices in the Governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major, latterly as Paymaster General at the Treasury. He was later Conservative Chief Whip in the House of Lords. He has a long interest in Palestine where his wife was born.
Professor Colin Green
From 2000 to 2014, Colin Green was CEO of the charity the International Medical Education Trust 2000 (IMET2000) working primarily in Palestine but also in Africa (Senegal, Uganda, Ghana, Malawi) and the Ukraine. He has since then been Director of Overseas Development and Treasurer. He has worked in Palestine since 1984 when he was an early and active member of Medical Aid for Palestine (MAP), then helped establish the first Palestinian Faculty of Medicine in 1994 in Al Quds University, together with a charity (FQMS) to support it. IMET2000 are currently running six large 5-year projects in the West Bank and Gaza as well as work in Ukraine, Uganda, Tibet refugee camps in India and Ghana. His main interests apart from surgical research, healthcare education, support of cultural activities and advanced training for Palestinians, are conflict resolution and the putative role of child mental health professionals in changing perceptions between hostile groups.
Supporters
We are grateful to all of our supporters, including the many anonymous ones alongside those named here. Thank you!
Wissam Boustany | Heba & Ari Zaphiriou-Zarifi | Lord Cope of Berkeley | Sir Vernon & Lady Ellis | Juliana Farha & Kit Malthouse | Jordan International Bank | Lord Kirkham | Ahmed Massoud | Zein Mayassi | Lena Saleh | Usama & Abir Tuqan
Foundations
The Allan & Nesta Ferguson Charitable Settlement | Eleanor Rathbone Trust | Qattan Foundation