London, 9th December 2021 Gary Crosby OBE, the co-founder and Artistic Director of Tomorrow’s Warriors today receives an Honorary Doctorate, entitled ‘Doctor of Music honoris causa’ at the University of London.
At a ceremony that will be livestreamed from the University of London Institute in Paris website and YouTube Channel at 11am from Senate House in central London, Gary receives the prestigious honour from the Vice-Chancellor of the University of London Professor Wendy Thomson CBE, with Professor Anna-Louise Milne, Director of Graduate Studies and Research, who originally recommended him for the award and will deliver an oration in his honour.
Milne first met Gary Crosby OBE in October 2019, when he was invited to Paris to join a discussion curated by the University of London Institute in Paris (ULIP) for the occasion of the Music Migrations: Paris/London Exhibition at the French National Immigration Museum.
Professor Anna-Louise Milne, Director of Graduate Studies and Research at the University of London Institute in Paris, said: “Gary Crosby has contributed so significantly, not only to contemporary British culture, but also to building connections across cultures and across sounds. He embodies a border-less relation to the world founded on the capacity for music, words and time spent making these come together to change people’s lives. The University of London Institute in Paris has chosen to honour that work and Gary’s life as a marker of its guiding belief in the power of cultures and people to be better together.”
Gary Crosby OBE, the co-founder and Artistic Director of Tomorrow’s Warriors added “I am deeply moved and humbled to receive this doctorate. It is an honour for me and I accept it with gratitude to Professor Milne and the team at ULIP. This has been a wonderful 30th anniversary year for Tomorrow’s Warriors, I couldn’t even dream of a better ending to the year! I grew up in West London on a council estate, so through the support of my family, I know what the power of education and music can achieve to extend my horizons, enable me to look at the world differently and see how it could be a positive force for good and bring about change. By reaching young people at a defining moment in their artistic journey, it’s been wonderful to see so much excellence coming through Tomorrow’s Warriors these past 30 years. I would like to share this honour with all the Warrior musicians it has been my privilege to bring through our programme.”
Notes to Editors:
About Gary Crosby OBE: Double bassist Gary Crosby was a founding member of Jazz Warriors and is the founder/leader of multi award-winning bands, Gary Crosby’s Nu Troop and Jazz Jamaica. With Janine Irons MBE he co-founded the award-winning creative producer and talent development organisation, Tomorrow’s Warriors and the independent jazz label Dune Records, focusing on black talent, female musicians and those facing socio-economic barriers to pursuing a career in the music industry. Tomorrow’s Warriors and its associated Nu Civilisation Orchestra has a residency at Southbank Centre in London. Crosby has worked with musicians including Ray Carless, Roger Thomas, George Lee, Ed Bentley, Adrian Reid, Frank Roberts, Courtney Pine, Steve Williamson, Orphy Robinson, John Stevens, Gary Bartz, Mal Waldron, Eddie Henderson, Stanley Turrentine, Joey Calderazzo, Larry Coryell, Jimmy Witherspoon, Sonny Fortune, Carmen Lundy, Marlene Shaw, Ernest Ranglin, Sonny Bradshaw, Myrna Hague, Lord Tanamo, Marjorie Whylie, and Hugh Masekela. His albums include Skaravan, The Jamaican Beat Vols 1 & 2, Double Barrel and Motorcity Roots with Jazz Jamaica; Migrations with Nu Troop; and Massive (Guardian and The Times Top Ten Albums of the Year list and BBC Radio Jazz Award for Best Band) with Jazz Jamaica All Stars. He coordinated the album One Love: Tribute to Bob Marley and produced Denys Baptiste’s Mercury-nominated album, Be Where You Are. He also worked on Baptiste’s multimedia project and album Let Freedom Ring. As artistic director, Gary Crosby has produced Lively Up Festival 2012, Catch A Fire and The Trojan Story celebrating Jamaican culture. With Nu Civilisation Orchestra he has collaborated with Lemn Sissay and Dennis Bovell (Population), BBC Concert Orchestra (The Harlem Suite), BBC Singers (Sacred Concerts) and Clod Ensemble (Black Saint and the Sinner Lady). His awards include an OBE for Services to Music, BBC Radio Jazz Award for Services to Jazz, a Parliamentary Jazz Award for Music Education, Special Parliamentary Jazz Award for Outstanding Contribution to Jazz and a BASCA Gold Badge Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Music Industry. He is an honorary fellow at Trinity Laban Conservatoire and is a member of the Jamaica Jazz Hall of Fame. He was the recipient of The Queen’s Medal for Music 2018 and in 2021 he was the recipient, with Janine Irons, of the Music Producers Guild Inspiration Award and the Jazz FM Award Impact Award.
About Tomorrow’s Warriors: Tomorrow’s Warriors was founded in 1991 by Queen’s Medal for Music recipient Gary Crosby OBE and Janine Irons MBE. Tomorrow’s Warriors supports, mentors and champions aspiring young artists, with a focus on black and female musicians and those from challenging socio economic backgrounds. With a dedicated space to host its Learning Programme at Southbank Centre, Tomorrow’s Warriors is proud to be a National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England and a PRS Foundation Talent Development Partner. Since inception, the organisation has directly impacted over 10,000 young people aged 11-25 outside of traditional formal education. Its pioneering Young Artist Development Programme has across 30 years provided a crucial development platform for many of the artists now tearing up the international jazz scene – Moses Boyd, Nubya Garcia, Cassie Kinoshi and Nérija, Femi Koleoso and Ezra Collective, Binker Golding, Shabaka Hutchings and Sons Of Kemet, Cherise, Eska, Denys Baptiste, Soweto Kinch, Zara McFarlane and many more. Tomorrow’s Warriors is pivotal in elevating UK jazz, valued by its alumni and respected by funding partners for the impact delivered through its pipeline for outstanding, diverse talent. Tomorrow’s Warriors Trust is a Registered Charity No 1153613. https://tomorrowswarriors.org/
About University Of London: The University of London is a federal University and is one of the oldest, largest and most diverse universities in the UK. Established by Royal Charter in 1836, the University is recognised globally as a world leader in higher education. It consists of 17 independent member institutions of outstanding reputation, together with a number of prestigious central academic bodies and activities. Learn more about the University of London at http://www.london.ac.uk. As the first British institute on continental Europe, the University of London Institute in Paris connects the UK with the Francophone world by providing a hub for fruitful academic exchange and enabling its students to gain invaluable international experience. Its interdisciplinary degrees in French Studies, International Politics and Urban History and Culture offer the unique opportunity to study in the heart of Paris and graduate with a renowned UK qualification, enabling students to take advantage of a life-changing experience.
