Chris Wright's philanthropy - Founder of Chrysalis

Philanthropy

When you’re successful, I think you have a duty to engage in charitable initiatives. As someone who has benefited from the music and sports industries, I’ve always been particularly interested in using both music and sports to improve the lives of other people.

One cause that I’m particularly passionate about is Nordoff Robbins, the leading independent music therapy charity in the UK, dedicated to changing the lives of vulnerable and isolated people. They do fantastic work helping children with learning disabilities and autism communicate and relax through music therapy in their specialist centres around the country.

I helped launch the Nordoff Robbins Sandown Race Day in 1991 (originally hosted at Newbury racecourse), which is one of the largest sporting events to raise money for charity. Over the last few years, I have chaired the organisation committee, making sure that we are constantly setting new and exciting targets for raising money for the charity.

Over the years that charity has raised more than £10 million to fund its work, all of which has come from the music industry. The 2011 race day, the first under my chairmanship, happily broke all records for the charity and raised nearly £100,000. The race day has now raised well over £1 million for autistic children since its inception.

Nordoff Robbins is the largest independent music therapy charity in the UK, dedicated to changing the lives of vulnerable and isolated people.

Nordoff Robbins support thousands of people through our own centres and by working in partnership with a wide range of organisations including care homes, schools and hospitals.

A wide range of instruments can be used in music therapy, including the voice, and the music created is often improvised. Music therapists support people to develop their own ways of being musical in order to explore their potential and connect with the world around them.

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1959

In 1959 American composer and pianist Paul Nordoff and special education teacher Clive Robbins developed a new form of collaborative music-making to engage vulnerable and isolated children, which they termed ‘therapy in music’.

1970

They began researching, publishing and teaching all over the world. Led by Sybil Beresford-Pierse, the first music therapy service was established in South London in 1970.

1976

1976 was a pivotal year for Nordoff Robbins.It marked the establishment of the first fundraising team whose job it was to support the work, training and research of Nordoff Robbins music therapy.

1982

In 1982 the very first Nordoff Robbins Centre opened in North London, housing a music therapy service and training facility under Sybil Beresford-Peirse. Nordoff Robbins’ work later spread to other countries with a dedicated music therapy centre opening up in NYU Steinhardt, New York, and Nordoff Robbins’ music therapy work developed in Germany, Australia, South Africa, Japan and Korea.

1991

Thanks to a fundraising rock concert at Knebworth in 1991 with performances from Paul McCartney, Genesis, Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, Elton John and Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, a new Nordoff Robbins music therapy centre opened in Kentish Town, North London, which is to this day is the hub of Nordoff Robbins’ activity and their national headquarters./p>

1995

Nordoff Robbins continued to grow from strength to strength; in 1995 the Nordoff Robbins’ Master of Music Therapy degree programme was launched to train the therapists of the future. This has since been extended to an MA in Music Therapy Master which is validated by Goldsmiths University.

2001

In 2001 Nordoff Robbins turned a corner and developed outreach services nationally in partnership with organisations in health, education, arts and social care, to help people of all ages who live in many different and challenging circumstances.

2009

The Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy Unit opened in 2009 on the grounds of the BRIT School in Croydon establishing a second base and in 2015 a third unit was opened at the Royal Albert Hall where Nordoff Robbins is now their dedicated special education needs partner.

Today

Today, Nordoff Robbins is the largest music therapy charity in the UK helping thousands of people each year, and whilst changes over the years have been substantial, our ethos has remained the very cornerstone of our work - to change the lives of the people who need us most.

Chris Wright CBE