Bird College has announced the appointment of John Reid as a new patron, adding to the breadth of the ambassadors serving as their President and Patrons. Throughout the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s John Reid was a pioneering force in worldwide artist management. He guided the careers of Elton John, Queen, Lionel Ritchie, Billy Connolly, Barry Humphries, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Michael Flatley among others. John was Chairman of theNational Youth Theatre of Great Britain as well as a trustee of the Brit School. He supports a range of other charities including CSV, the Sports Aid Foundation and, Music Therapy. He co-founded the Elton John  Aids Foundation.

John commented, ‘Having experienced the excellence of work produced at Bird College in recent years, I’m delighted to become associated as a Patron and look forward to working with Luis and Shirley for the future development of the college. Its graduates are outstanding – educated to the highest technical standard demanded by the industry. But equally they are innovative and diverse artists who are very well prepared for a lifelong career in the arts.’

Shirley and Luis commented, ‘We are delighted that John has joined the College as a Patron and we are particularly honoured that he has agreed to join us and other trustees as a member of our fundraising team. He is a great supporter of the arts, and brings with him a wealth of experience, both in artist management and as a theatre producer, as well as being a keen supporter of a range of charities. We are very privileged that he is lending his expertise to the college and look forward to working with him on further developing our charitable objectives. John supports our commitment to ensuring that we recruit the most talented and diverse students and staff, continue to provide outstanding training, and that we do so with state-of-the-art facilities.’