What can we learn about organisational life from the work and craft of the orchestral musician, and the complex management of authority over the instrument, over others, and in response to the authority of the score and the conductor? Mick Doran will talk with Lydia Hartland-Rowe about experiences of leading and following from the heart of the orchestra, and from other aspects of working life as a professional musician.

This event will explore the parallels between leading and following in music settings, and leading and following in any environment. It will have a wide appeal for those interested in music, systems psychodynamics, leadership and following. During the event there will be a presentation including notes from observations, conversation and video – and a good deal of the humour that is key to survival in orchestral life. We hope that themes looking at the work of the musician, systems psychodynamic thinking and what happens in other organisational settings can be improvised on together, with contributions from the audience.

This event has now passed. You can view this event on YouTube.

Speaker biographies

MICK DORAN is Principal Percussionist of the English National Opera Orchestra. After studying at the Royal Academy of Music he was appointed Principal Percussionist for Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet before moving to ENO. He also enjoys a busy freelance career with the UK’s premier orchestras, opera and ballet companies, as well as working on many top film scores, West End musicals and playing contemporary music and jazz. As a Professor at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music he enjoys passing on his experiences to a new generation of players. Mick appears regularly on Radio and TV.

LYDIA HARTLAND-ROWE is Workforce Wellbeing Lead at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust. She met Mick at the Royal Academy of Music where she studied double-bass, before becoming a music therapist. She then turned to psychoanalytic child psychotherapy and has been an active clinician and educator at the Tavistock and elsewhere since 2000. Since her first Group Relations Conference during the child psychotherapy training, she has been interested in what orchestral life can tell us about leadership, personal and organisational authority – and the importance of the tea break and who gets the first round in…

For 100 years, the Tavistock and Portman has proudly been at the forefront of exploring mental health and wellbeing. From attachment theory and infant observation, to applying psychoanalytic and systemic approaches in varied settings, our ideas have led to changes in care, education, how organisations work and beyond.

Our Centenary Festival is celebrating our history and exploring contemporary issues in relation to identity, relationships and society. It is considering how we continue to draw on our heritage to provide valuable responses to contemporary and future problems from the perspective of equality and inclusion.