The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama has appointed six new board members.

The new board members include Nigel Annett CEBA, April Koyejo-Audiger, Ian Lewis, Toianyi Lu, David Ruebain, and Nitin Sawhney CBE.

“The six new trustees reflect the exceptional breadth and depth of skills and experience that a 21st-century conservatoire board need,” said Chairman of the board John Derrick in an official press statement. “They bring deep knowledge and expertise from music to screen and recorded film, media and opera. Ensuring that our conservatoire graduates are ready to continue their careers as a community of artists and professionals requires a board that can support and challenge our first-class executive team. Combined with our existing trustees, these new members will ensure that we add further expertise in the legal and digital fields. I look forward to welcoming them to the board and enriching our dialogue, supporting our ambitious aim to ensure that RWCMD nurtures talent, engages with its audiences, and represents Wales as a distinctive, creative force in the world.”

Annett is a founding director of Glas Cymru and Trustee of the Community Foundation of Wales.

Koyejo-Audiger is an opera singer and opera maker who was part of the Jette Parker Anniversary Company during the 2021-22 season.

Lewis is a founder of Serenroc, an audio-visual distribution and production company; he is also Deputy Chair on the board of the National Film and Television School.

Lu is the Conductor-in-Residence with the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra and holds the position of WNO Female Conductor in Residence, and Art Ambassador for Opera for Peace.

Ruebain is the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Culture, Equality, and Inclusion at the University of Sussex.

Finally, Sawhney is a musician, composer, producer, and recipient of the Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement award.

The new board members will engage in their first meeting in February.