The Music and Arts is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation with a volunteer board of trustees, each with varying backgrounds and expertise.
See Trustee Volunteer Opportunities HERE
Meet the Board of Trustees
The Music and Arts is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation with a volunteer board of trustees, each with varying backgrounds and expertise.
Elaine Tierney – Chair
Elaine is the chair of the trustees. Elaine has lived in Coventry for over 40 years and is passionate about the City she is proud to call “Home”. She is driven by a vision for Coventry of a world-famous, vibrant music and arts scene that will draw people to live, work, perform and study here and will nurture local performers and technicians to be internationally recognised as simply the best. This will also reinvigorate engineering employment in the City offering a new future in sound/lighting/recording and all trades associated with instruments, materials and equipment. Elaine’s involvement in the Tin Music and Arts comes from this vision and her personal zest for live music – whether they be local or world performers.
She is also fiercely committed to promoting the benefits that music and the arts can have on individuals’ health and wellbeing and the positive contribution they can make to help build strong and supportive communities that cross boundaries.
Paul Jennings – Hon. Treasurer
Paul is a Cov Kid and has lived and worked in the city for virtually all his life. Very recently retired from a senior finance role at Coventry City Council Paul became a Tin Trustee and its Honorary Treasurer during 2023. He also has voluntary roles on the Finance Committee of Coventry Cathedral and as a Governor of Woodfield School.
During his 35 years at the Council he gained an appreciation of how important culture and arts can be in the health and wellbeing of the community. His career spent helping the Council to balance its budget convinced him that keeping citizens of all generations active, engaged and inspired makes excellent sense for public finances as well as being good for society.
Paul is quickly developing a passion for helping the Tin to continue its progression towards being a key player in Coventry’s music scene, supporting its other artistic endeavours and enriching the lives it touches along the way. Music has become an increasingly important part of his life. Eclectic tastes including Yazoo, Billy Bragg, Elvis Costello and Tori Amos have veered towards folk and Americana influenced artists in more recent years.
Graham Clark
Graham has lived in Coventry for over half his life and has been a local authority accountant for more years than he would care to admit. He is inspired by live music and culture and has been a regular attendee at the Tin for nearly twenty years.
His personal local gig highlights include Lou Reed with Anohni at Warwick Arts Centre (2003), Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy at St John the Baptist Church (2010) and any time Jeffrey Lewis visits the Tin.
When not attending gigs in the Coventry area, Graham can be found sampling the best craft and real ale pubs, maintaining a questionable love for noughties indie, urban rambling and attempting to create a wildlife haven in his city garden.
Graham thinks the music scene in Coventry is currently very strong, with lots going on and plenty of opportunities to get involved if you are prepared to have an open mind and take a punt on new things.
Janie Darley
Janie has been a trustee at The Tin since 2013. Now retired, Janie worked at Spon Gate Primary School as a facilitator to teaching staff, parents and children. She managed two other members of the admin team and was responsible for the daily management of the school budget and the production of letters and documents.
She enjoys reading, listening to and performing music, attending theatre and creative crafts– She’s attended the Hay Literary Festival annually since 2000 as well as the Sore Fingers bluegrass summer school annually for 8 years (where she plays violin). Janie travels a lot in order to see her favourite live musicians: Wilko Johnson, The Blockheads, John Otway, Gillian Welch, Stephen Malkmus. She also relishes being able to see great music at the Tin: Curtis Eller, Thomas Truax, Paul Curreri and Devon Sproule among others.
Duncan Elliot
Duncan is a chartered surveyor with 30 years’ experience in leading, bringing forward and delivering commercial development and regeneration schemes.
For six years he was the Head of the major ‘Swanswell Initiative’ regeneration area in which The Tin’s current operation is located. He also has over 20 years’ experience of working professionally in Coventry. Consequently, Duncan is well connected with local stakeholders, businesses, professionals and decision makers and the community groups in the City, and The Tin’s locality.
In his spare time he has a passion for local live music in Coventry and Leamington Spa. Duncan has been attending gigs at The Tin’s Coal Vaults venue on a regular basis since it opened.
In 2012 he was the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Bath Place Community Venture in Leamington Spa, a high profile charity promoting the health and wellbeing of local disadvantaged people. It was also home to a performing arts venue.
Nyota Izeidi
Nyota is a Congolese–Belgian, Coventry-based singer-songwriter and creative practitioner and entrepreneur, signed to her self-owned independent record label, Kamona Records. She is passionate about making meaningful, community-led work and her practice sits at the intersection of music, collaboration, and care, whether that’s writing and performing original material or supporting creative projects behind the scenes.
As a promoter, ‘Secret Location with Nyotaa’ in London and ‘Style the Culture’ in Coventry have nurtured grassroots artists and grown communities.
Graham Tilley
Graham is a born and bred Coventarian with a passion for music. He has been self-employed for over 8 years, having set up his own IT business after 15 years at Royal Mail. At the Royal Mail he held Team Leader roles mostly on the technology side where he was responsible for maintenance of the software running the mail sorting equipment. Graham also held several trade union roles, including the position of administration representative for the Communication Workers Union. He later joined the Communication Managers Union and held the position of Branch Secretary and Midlands Divisional Branch Secretary.
Graham believes that Coventry has gone thorough many ups and downs – both economically and culturally – but after many years of decline the flames of the phoenix are starting to flicker again with The Tin at the forefront of the city’s improving music and arts scene.