This morning, we welcomed Sir Harrison Birtwistle, one of this country’s greatest living composers, into the agency to kick off our latest series of W+Ked speakers

In the 1960s, Harrison shocked the classical world when debuting his opera Punch and Judy and both he and his music have stayed as uncompromising and distinctive ever since.

The composer spoke on his music, influences and staying on the cutting edge of his profession and finished with a thrilling live performance of a piece called ‘Pulse Sampler’, performed by oboist Melinda Maxwell and percussionist David Hockings.

A huge thanks to Harrison, Melinda and David for sharing their knowledge and talents and to the W+Ked team for a properly inspiring start to this year’s speaker programme.

To mark the 30th anniversary of World AIDS Day, we welcomed poet, speaker and trainer Bakita Kasadha into the agency to challenge static perceptions and assumptions around being HIV+.

Bakita, who has performed poetry and delivered talks internationally, including at TEDxCoventGarden and the Houses of Parliament, spoke to W+K about the challenges and stigma of living with HIV and how the rapid advancement of medication has changed the landscape for those affected.

It was a real privilege to hear Bakita speak with candour, intelligence and humour on a potentially tough topic – big thanks to her and the W+Ked team for organising.