Musical Connections roundtables 

Speakers for this event

• Alysha Brilla

  Alysha Brilla

  Composer

  Composer of the 2023 SXSW Feature Film “The Queen Of My Dreams” and Music Producer of the Year at the 2018 Independent Music Awards, 3X JUNO Award nominated Alysha Brilla composes, produces and mixes music between Toronto and Los Angeles.  Brilla’s extensive professional body of work encompasses fifteen years of studio experience,  most recently as producer and mixer for Guatemalan-Canadian artist Paula Sofia’s full length album “Quinto De Hora”. As a composer and multi-instrumentalist, Brilla’s music transcends genres; weaving together worlds. 

  Composer

• Ben Walker

  Ben Walker

  Ristband

  Ben’s career started as a UK based booking agent in 2015 where he delivered international tours and festival appearances for clients across a wide range of genres, notably Hip Hop, Reggae, and Grime. He also worked as a tour specialist, managing logistics for headline tours for the likes of Frank Carter and The Rattlesnakes and Sampa The Great, while also contributing to tours for renowned artists such as Adele and Arctic Monkeys.   With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic halting live touring, Ben pivoted into digital talent management. He joined Studio71’s UK division, where he oversaw a diverse roster of over 17 content creators, gaining social platform expertise and specialising in channel management, creative ideation and optimisation. He then moved over to Cowshed Collective, a social-first production company, where he headed up the establishment of their digital talent management division – offering commercial, creative and content services to creators with a combined following of over 29 million.   He now works as Ristband’s Head of Digital and offers music, creative and social consultancy to agencies, talent and businesses worldwide. 

  Ristband

• Fiona Ham

  Fiona Ham

  Head of Operations

  MusicTeam

  Head of Operations

• Murray A. Lightburn

  Murray A. Lightburn

  Composer

  Murray A. Lightburn is a composer, music producer and performer. Born, bred, and based in Montréal, he brings his unique melody-first approach to songwriting. For almost 30 years, he has been internationally known as the frontman of chamber-rock band The Dears. These days, Murray is spending more time creating original music for film, tv, games and podcasts in his studio, Murmajesty. Projects include video game “We Happy Few” (Compulsion/Microsoft), feature film “I Like Movies” (Mongrel), and tv series “Black Life: Untold Stories” (CBC), as well as upcoming documentary “Any Other Way: The Jackie Shane Story” (Banger Films) and family drama “Near Or Far” (CBC Gem). Murray’s work has been nominated for the Polaris Prize (long and short listed), the Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize, and a Juno Award. 

  Composer

• Roman Rappak

  Roman Rappak

  cofounder wristband

  Roman Rappak is cofounder of award-winning platform Ristband, using immersive and gaming technology to supercharge the music industry. He is also frontman of the band Pivots. Rappak has directed award winning short films, soundtracked games and scored films, released and toured two full length albums with his previous band Breton (Fat Cat / Warp), as well as creating immersive cinema experiences that toured from the BFI London to the ACMI Australia. He created the world’s first XR live music concert, touring art galleries, venues, cinemas, warehouses and festivals in the UK, France, Germany, Dubai and Holland, from the Institute of Contemporary Art in Amsterdam (CBK) to the Barbican in London. In 2023 Rappak was tipped as one of Music Ally’s ‘Ones To Watch’ in music and technology.    In his work blending live music and cinema with game engines, Roman has discovered new ways of using technology to promote music and generate revenue for artists and venues.  After sold out international shows and a grant from Epic Games (the maker of Fortnite) Roman has dedicated the last two years to sharing the tools he has built with artists, labels, music publishers, and venues. The gaming industry is twice as big as the music industry, and yet artists and the music industry are excluded from this explosive cultural phenomenon. Roman has proven that not only is there a way of leveraging the gaming industry, but taking back control that represents a bridge between the music and the gaming industry. In 2023 Rappak was tipped as one of Music Ally’s ‘Ones To Watch’ in music and technology.   

  cofounder wristband