Superact! is staffed by a dedicated core of people from a wide variety of backgrounds, both geographical, cultural and in terms of their personal and professional history.

It enables us to provide programmes of activity that fully recognise the needs and ability levels of the audiences we deal with across a broad range of situations, age groups and social and health circumstances.

This approach also ensures that responses are delivered with awareness and understanding by a carefully selected group of professionally trained, experienced artists.

The people behind the events…

Ali Smith

Director

Coming from 5 generations of professional musicians Ali’s first instrument is the Cello – studying both in the UK and at the Conservatoire in Prague under Paul Ward, Raphael Wallfisch and Stanislav Apolin.

Ali is also the 3rd generation of her family to be a member of the Royal Society of Musicians. Founded in 1738 the aims of the founding members whose numbers include Handel remain unchanged today. To provide assistance for those working in the music professional and their dependants when in need because of accident, illness or old age.

As an inspirational leader with a can do approach, Ali’s career has spanned thirty years with a focus on creative industries, education, community regeneration and social enterprise. Her collaborative skills, enabling style and natural ability to work in partnership are particular strengths, as is his ability to set up new organisations and projects delivering outstanding results.

Since 1999 Ali has been the South West Director of Live Music Now (LMN). A National charity that was founded in 1977 by the legendary violinist, Yehudi Menuhin and his colleague Ian Stoutzker. Menuhin noticed how music could transcend barriers of experience, language, illness and disability. He witnessed the pleasure, therapeutic and educational benefits that involvement in live music brought to people he worked with, particularly when faced by challenging or stressful life situations.

Ali is also the founding Director of Superact!

Iwan Kushka

European Project Manager

Iwan (pronounced Ivan) is originally from Belgium, where he earned a Law degree and an MA in International Relations.

He speaks six languages and has traveled through almost every continent.

Iwan has worked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and has also been a journalist in Cairo, farmhand and tree-planter in Canada, fishmonger, body therapist and teacher.

He is also a musician and storyteller, performing both in the UK and internationally.

Iwan lives in Totnes, Devon, with his wife Susan and their new puppy, Duduk

Patsy Lang

Associate Director

Patsy alias Ratsy Fang!, has a Bachelor degree in Fine Arts from York University in Toronto, Canada. She specialized in Theatre Production & Design, going on to work in the field of Set & Lighting Design for 15 years in Canada. Her design work was for both mainstream and alternative theatre companies. She made a significant contribution to the development of native theatre companies in Canada as a Director of the Native Theatre School.

Patsy’s theatre work brought her to the Edinburgh International Festival with the Native Earth Theatre Company. Here she developed a passion for working with international companies and was soon working for the Festival on a Canada Arts Council grant.

After 3 years at the Festival, Patsy returned to Toronto to start her own touring company, PAS Cultural exchange Arts. The concept behind PAS was to develop international exchange tours with various art forms.

Patsy’s return to Britain to have children, brought her in contact with the SW branch of Live Music Now, where her project & tour management skills were put to work initially on a special needs schools project, and eventually on the justice projects that the branch was developing.

Patsy has managed all the Justice projects for LMN SW over the last 5 years, and now manages similar projects for Superact! C.I.C.

Mauricio Velez

Lead Artist

A world class musician, Mauricio, or Mozz, first instrument is the Sikus (traditional Panpipes), but he also plays most Andean wind instruments (Kena, Mhozeno, Tarkas) and has developed innovative techniques on the Bombo (Andean percussion) and conga drums.

He has performed with some of today’s most important musicians such as John Williams and Julian Joseph in the most prestigious venues in England, including the Royal Festival Hall, the Barbican and at WOMAD. He has been recognised as a pioneer both in his field of research and for his educational work with young people.

Born in Colombia, Velez attended the Conservatoire of the University of Antioquia. In the UK, he completed a science degree in Instrument Research and Technology at the London Guildhall University that has enabled him to construct and develop his own instruments. His extensive work on the field has given him a level of expertise and understanding that enables him to use Andean music as a tool to design events and workshops that help people work more effectively both in corporate and educational environments.

Over the years, he has built up a great knowledge of musical styles; with strong influences ranging from Colombia’s mountain rhythms to Argentina’s passionate tango.

Velez’s firm musical training and success as a performer has led him to work with people of all ages and abilities. From the projects that helped keep young artists in the dance world in Colombia, to the ground breaking integration of poetry and music, Velez’s natural charisma and musical talent have inspired many young artists on the London scene.

He has developed a series of performances for schools, prisons, and children with special needs as well as for adults in the corporate sector. These performances introduce the audience to various musical styles and encourage active participation.

Velez currently continues his research work in connection with the London Metropolitan University and the development of the PEETA project which he has helped develop and write.

Katharine Lane

Project Manager

Katharine has been part of the Superact team since 2008 working across a variety of projects from The Bandstand Marathon to the development of new projects with older people throughout the South West.

Katharine studied Geography at Swansea University and during her time in there passionately campaigned to make the city greener. In 2006 she was awarded the 'Champion Award' by the Mayor of Swansea for her efforts to make the city and the University campus more environmentally sustainable.

Katharine was selected for the Oxfam Change programme in 2006 which led to her completing a 6 month internship with the Campaigns and Policy team at Oxfam Cymru in Wales. During her time at Oxfam she discovered her passion for working in the third sector and interest in policy and advocacy.

Katharine is always taking on new challenges such as learning French and attempting to grow vegetables in her new allotment!

Phil Holmes

Regional Manager UK South East

Phil was born in Kent UK in 1979. He spent much of his young life playing Celtic and English folk music on the tin whistle and melodeon until studying the saxophone at the age of 12 years.

In the mid 1990’s Phil began training in early American Jazz and commenced a Sonic Arts & Jazz Music degree in 1997 in North London.

Phil is now a diverse musician involved in a myriad of musical styles ranging from jazz, blues, funk, electronica and hip hop to Balkan, Arabic, Celtic and English folk music and is a performing musician in a number of different bands.

He has over five years experience in music workshops and other musical education and has developed an eclectic musical flavour to reflect his rich resource of influences. Phil also has experience working within primary and secondary education, special needs education and most recently producing workshops within prisons with offenders.

Philippa Glanvill

Project Manager

Pippa studied a Bachelor of Arts in Drama at the University of Exeter.

Since then, she has progressed her interest in drama in many ways, mainly within local societies and dramatic groups. Her pastimes include playwriting, film and theatre, listening to music, attending festivals and other music gigs. She also spends time organising local community events.

She is ‘madly passionate’ about music and has a deep respect for the way it can inspire the mind. She also loves the obscure and the crude (within the realms of art and real life observations).

In September she will return to university to do a Masters Degree in Applied Drama. With its parallel objectives, this will perfectly compliment her work within Superact!.

Yiannis Zaronis

Regional Manager UK South East

Yiannis was born in Athens Greece in 1981. He began learning the guitar at the age of nine, and in 1998 enrolled in the jazz programme of Fillipos Nakas School of Music in Athens where he studied guitar with Takis Barberis.

After completing his jazz studies he enrolled in Christ Church University, Canterbury where he completed his BA Music and in 2007 began a Masters degree in Ethnomusicology at SOAS, University of London.

Yiannis has studied Arabic drumming under the guidance of percussion master Hossam Ramzy and he performs regularly with several different bands in the UK.

His main interest is Balkan and Gypsy music as well as music from his native country Greece.

Since 2003 he has lived in the UK where he works as a musician music teacher and runs workshops in a variety of environments including prisons ,youth centres and schools.

Lynda Nesbitt

Financial and Central Support Officer

Lynda was born and raised in Kenya, East Africa, and farmed in Naivasha with her husband, growing horticultural vegetables for daily export to Covent Garden and for local sales to hotels and restaurants. Lynda was responsible for the administration and financial departments of the enterprise employing 250 local staff.

On return to the UK, Lynda entered the retail business and ran her own shop for ten years, selling street clothing to teens and young adults. During this time she also worked closely with local councils and youth initiatives to plan and promote events in conjunction with her shop within the area.

On moving to Devon, Lynda continued working in finance and administration with a private school in Taunton before joining Superact!

Lynda is interested in wildlife conservation and whilst in Kenya worked as a volunteer at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust which rescues, raises and rehabilitates orphaned baby elephants. Her other interests include floristry and through her work with The Constance Spry Flower School has arranged flowers for Royal occasions, No. 10 Downing Street and Lancaster House.

Nick Smith

Director

Nick is a co-director of Superact!, a graduate from Cambridge University and has a history of 25 years experience in research and evaluation for the not for profit sector.

His career has included employment in some of the largest international research organizations (BMRB, part of WPP) and since 1996 has run the Reserach Partnership. He has also been Chairman of the Social Research Association. His clients include major public sector bodies (the Cabinet Office, Financial Services Authority, Regional Development Agencies), charities (Royal Academy of Engineering, National Asthma Campaign), Local Government (Hertfordshire County Council) and academic institutions (Bristol University, Exeter University).

Nick has particular experience in the fields of educational research and volunteering, sometimes looking at the role of volunteering as a gateway to education and employment.

Working with the Cabinet Office, he is the lead evaluator of a three year initiative to encourage ‘hard to reach’ groups (including BME, low skills and the disabled) to volunteer.

Work with government bodies such as Joint Information System Committee (JISC) and the Universities and Colleges Information Systems Association (UCISA) looks at the use made of technology as a learning tool in higher and further education settings. Central too much of Nick’s work is the assessment of programmed impact and in this project Nick would