Fay Jennett

head and shoulders portrait
Fay Jennett

Senior Associate

A classical singer by training, Fay (she/her) put her musical background to good use in 5 years’ producing opera and young artist programmes for Britten Pears Arts in Suffolk. She learnt the value of creating safe and nurturing spaces which allow young artists to grow as individuals as well as develop skills for successful performing careers.

Fay hails from Glasgow and lived for a time in Berlin, before taking on a 7-month Dfid-funded placement as a Team Leader for Restless Development in Tamil Nadu, India. This experience of supporting a cultural shift within a community travelled with Fay to Britten Pears Arts, where she became Diversity Lead for the organisation. She sees equality, diversity and inclusion as vital to the future of the arts and believes passionately in our collective responsibility to effect positive change.

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What does your role at Tonic involve?

So many things… Mainly listening, meeting brilliant people, having brilliant conversations, having challenging conversations, serious thinking, learning new things, problem solving, listening, writing on whiteboards, carrying around blu-tac, listening, drinking coffee and generally believing in people.

What’s your favourite thing about working at Tonic?

Team Tonic!  And that moment when you can see that your work has made a real impact and that change could happen!

What book/podcast/documentary/etc inspires you the most?

I could not possibly decide on one so here is are some options you can choose from… At the moment, I would say for books there is a three-way tie between Audre Lorde’s Sister Outsider, Time to Think by Nancy Kline and Kae Tempest’s On Connection (all truly transformational and for whatever reason, whenever I picked them up to read a chapter it was always exactly what I needed at that time). Podcasts would have to be Our Naked Truths: The Communion (only seven episodes and all absolute gems – got me through the first lockdown and have relistened multiple times since), Who Hurt You? with Sofie Hagen and Have You Heard George’s Podcast? from George the Poet both completely different and totally inspiring.

What 3 words would you use to describe Tonic?

Business. Of. Hope.

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