Barry Farrimond

Barry has over 10 year experience developing, strengthening and leading social enterprise and third-sector arts organisations. He co-founded OpenUp Music in 2014 with its Musical Director Doug Bott, before becoming Chief Executive in 2016. During his time at OpenUp Music he has worked on a range of ambitious projects including the launch of the UK’s first Open School Orchestras and the formation of the South-West Open Youth Orchestra (the UK’s first disabled-led regional youth orchestra). Respected as an authority on the development and application of accessible music technology, Barry has also led the development of OpenUp Music’s award-winning Open Musical Instruments programme - a new generation of accessible musical instruments that can be played with any part of the body, including the eyes. Barry plays Ed Grundy in the long running BBC radio 4 soap 'The Archers’ and is the inventor of the Farrimond Friction Hitch.