Board of trustees
Peter is an experienced international leader in education, the arts, cultural relations, and development. He worked for the British Council for over 35 years, including 15 at senior leadership level, in Europe (Western Balkans, Hungary and Spain), the Americas (Brazil and Venezuela) and Africa (Nigeria, Mozambique, Uganda and Ethiopia). His last role with the British Council before retiring in July 2025 was Director Scotland, based in his home town of Edinburgh.
He holds an MA in German Language and Literature from the University of St. Andrews, an MBA from Heriot Watt University, and Diplomas in the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language and Translation (Spanish to English).
pETER bROWN, cHAIR
Isabella is a Venezuelan music educator, French hornist, conductor, and composer whose work spans Scotland, Latin America, the USA, East Africa, and the UK. A dynamic and visionary force in community music, she is dedicated to fostering inclusive, participant-led, and creative programmes that support musicians of all ages and backgrounds. Internationally, Isabella is the founder of Musica Unita, an international music education programme designed to equip, empower, and expand access to music education for individuals and communities. Additionally, she leads workshops and tutors with organisations including Sistema Scotland, Early Years Music Scotland, Africa Music School (Uganda), Intersoul (Colombia), and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Juniors, among others.
Raised in Florida, USA, Isabella trained in horn performance at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and has performed with ensembles such as the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Berlin Opera Academy and the Royal Marines Band of Scotland. Alongside her performance career, Isabella is an active composer, with works commissioned by the National Piping Centre. She serves as Musical Director for choirs and regularly conducts orchestras and youth ensembles across the UK. A passionate advocate for educational equity, she is a Global Youth Ambassador for Theirworld and creates digital content exploring music, identity, and access from a global perspective.
iSABELLA gONZALEZ dIAZ, fOUNDER & ceo
Laura has dedicated her career to widening access to high-quality music education and supporting the development of young musicians. She studied Music at the University of Leeds, completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Violin Performance at the Royal Northern College of Music, before training as a primary teacher.
Since 2007, Laura has taught violin and viola across Lincolnshire, where she founded the Oasby Music Group, a successful string programme that has enabled hundreds of young people to experience ensemble music-making, collaborate with internationally renowned artists and progress to further musical study.
Laura was a founding member of The Benedetti Foundation team, serving first as Education Director and then as its inaugural Foundation Director, helping to shape the organisation’s strategic vision, develop its programmes and manage the day-to-day operations. Prior to this, she spent 15 years supporting the National Children’s Orchestras of Great Britain in a variety of support roles.
Alongside running a busy teaching practice, she is currently General Manager of Edinburgh Youth Orchestra, working closely with the Board, staff and tutors to support the organisation’s continued development and impact. Laura also serves as Head of Conferences and Training for the Music Education Partnership Group (MEPG) and is a member of the Advisory Committee for Programming and Community Engagement for the Dunard Centre.
Laura is delighted to join the Trustees of Musica Unita and support the organisation's important work.
Laura Gardiner
Stewart is a Scottish double bassist who spends most of his working week with the young people of Big Noise Sistema Scotland where he is the Head of Centre in Wester hailes.
He regularly tutors with the Benedetti Foundation & performs with professional ensembles such as the Halle, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Philharmonic, Manchester Camerata and the Czech National Symphony Orchestra. Stewart has played at festivals such as the BBC Proms, the Manchester International Festival and the Cheltenham Festival.
Stewart Wilson
Further to being head hunted by the marketing department at Universal Music, Elizabeth became a protégé of one of the UK’s foremost music copyright experts. She went on to manage music licensing for award winning TV shows, (including teen drama ‘Skins’ for Channel 4), and many independent production companies, (from Aardman Animations to DV8 physical theatre group). Her experience in music publishing also encompasses the management of rights and releases for The Orb, Hugh Cornwall and indie band Reuben, alongside the preparation of musicological reports for Simon Fuller’s legal team at 19 Entertainment.
With over a decade of international performance experience Elizabeth also holds a wealth of knowledge gained from work as a creative practitioner in her own right. Having sung all across China and at the world’s only 7 star hotel with a Latin American jazz band she’s also performed at innumerable events and venues much closer to home, including Glastonbury Festival & The Royal Festival Hall. Her compositions have been featured on television, radio and film and, in her youth, Elizabeth fronted an all girl comedy punk rock band that toured all over the UK supporting The Dammed, The Buzzcocks, The Undertones and The Specials. Her academic interests lie at the intersection of industry and art, where artistic, cultural and commercial agendas meet. Most of all, however, she is fervently driven to empower early-career musicians and proud to have helped many launch successful careers throughout a decade of degree level lecturing.
Elizabeth Jenkinson
Christopher Gough is a highly accomplished French horn player, composer, and arranger. He studied French horn and composition at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland from 2010 to 2014 and after graduating quickly gained prominence in the Scottish freelance scene, regularly performing with the RSNO, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet. He became Principal Horn of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra from 2016-2023 at which point he took the decision to work on a freelance basis allowing more time for his composition and arranging endeavours. For the past few years he has been guesting as Principal horn with many of the other leading UK orchestras as well as abroad in places such as the Republic of Ireland, Sweden, and most recently, New Zealand with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
As well as working in the music department for various film and television series, Christopher’s works have also featured in many notable concert series, including at the BBC Proms, St Magnus Festival, the RSNO Season, Orquestra Sinfónica do Estado de São Paulo, the RSNO Chamber Series, Cottiers Chamber Project and annual British Horn Society conference. He continues to write alongside his new role as Principal Horn of the BBC SSO.