Dr Jackie Walduck Wins Prestigious ABO Health and Wellbeing Award

ASMF is delighted that Jackie Walduck has been honoured with this year’s Association Of British Orchestras Health and Wellbeing Award. Jackie is an exceptional composer, percussionist, researcher and community leader, who has spent 25 years at the helm of ASMF’s work with people experiencing homelessness. The awards, announced at this year’s ABO Conference at The Glasshouse, celebrate individuals who demonstrate inspiration, innovation and collaboration in the orchestral sector.

Jackie started ASMF’s homelessness programme in 1999, and since then she has touched countless lives across London, using music as a tool for empowerment, connection, and creative exploration. To mark the 25th anniversary of this work alongside the orchestra’s Marriner 100 celebrations in 2024, Jackie worked with participants and ASMF musicians to create A City Full of Stories: a digital SoundWalk installed around Westminster. This project exemplified Jackie’s commitment to creating platforms where participants are equal contributors. Every element of the SoundWalk—from the route to the melodies—was co-created with individuals who have lived experience of homelessness, resulting in an inspiring piece of public art.

Jackie’s ability to foster a safe, empowering, and collaborative space is unparalleled. Her workshops are known for their inclusivity and creativity, encouraging participants and professional musicians alike to explore, thrive, and take risks. ASMF violinist Gabby Painter remarked,

“Jackie is the most enabling person. She holds the space with great calm, respectfulness, and creativity… She makes everyone feel welcome and heard. Every contribution is valued, and there is always a joint sense of purpose and community in the music making.”

As an active researcher, Jackie is at the forefront of innovation in music, health and wellbeing spaces. She was co-researcher on the paper ‘Playing with data differently: engaging with autism and gender through participatory arts/music and a performative framework for analysis’, published in Frontiers in Psychology in June 2024. The PP-framework developed as part of the research and tested within homelessness sessions with ASMF supports interpretation of the nuances and details of individuals’ musical engagement, and proposes methodology for making the most of the expertise of musicians. In 2025 she leads an action-research project with ASMF and people with lived experience of homelessness, examining how the team can develop a practice that recognises and supports empowerment for everyone within the workshops, and how those involved experience the impact.

In addition to her work with ASMF and many of the UK’s other leading orchestras, Jackie is shaping the future of socially engaged music-making as a lecturer with the Royal Academy of Music ’s Open Academy Department. There, she mentors students and prepares them for careers that embrace music’s potential to promote health, wellbeing, and social change.

Receiving the ABO Health and Wellbeing Award is a fitting tribute to Jackie’s extraordinary vision, dedication, and achievements. She is a valued part of ASMF’s team and we are so pleased that her contribution to the orchestral sector has been celebrated in this way, following the milestone year in her work with us.

“Jackie is an enormously respected collaborator amongst those who have had the opportunity to work alongside her, including so many in the ASMF community including our partners and musicians. Her ability to get the best out of those she is working with, holding so many people’s thoughts and ideas until the point that they harmoniously come together is mesmerising, and the difference she has made to people’s lives through her work is immeasurable. We are so proud of our long-standing relationship with Jackie and excited to continue working with her in the years to come. Our many congratulations go to Jackie, who is so deserving of this accolade.”

Callum Given, Head of Social Purpose